Officemate
by shi-chan
Summary: KakaIru  Kakashi is just doing his job, even if it means that his heart was being crushed in the process and whatever remains of his psyche was being washed away. Company's orders are top priority, not his needs, desires or heart. Sequel to Roommate.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: OOC, weirdness, sexual references and foul language. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

Please read Roommate first before proceeding any further. Nothing will make sense here. Read at your own risk.

Enjoy people!

**OFFICEMATE**

The building before him was ten stories tall, no garage and had four large apartments per floor. He was assigned a new flat on the sixth floor which had a perfect view of the building right across the street. The neighborhood was a decent one having most of its people single or married couples with no children working for the company itself. The block was almost as if it was owned by the company (but was not of course). All his belongings were packed and sent to his new apartment earlier by the company (he didn't have to worry about extra expenditures or withdrawing cash from the bank). He spent the past two days in a five-star hotel (again, courtesy of the company) while they set up and got his new space ready for his next assignment.

Sighing and running his hand through his thick mass of messy silver hair, Kakashi picked up his small duffel bag and headed for the lobby of the apartment. It was as he expected it to be; clean and shiny marble floorings and walls, yellow lights, glass sliding doors and two elevators with crappy music. He gave a small nod to the security sitting behind his table in the corner of the lobby with a set of monitors in front of him as he made his way to the elevator.

As the doors slid shut, Kakashi leaned heavily against the elevator wall, shoulders slumping in exhaustion as he waited for the elevator to stop in his floor. He was ticking off the amount of time he was going to need to unpack and how he was going to have to go and pick up his new car the next morning. Personally, he wasn't the type to drive cars and still preferred motorbikes (his blue one to be more precise; it was the only bike that lasted so long with him and he was quite fond of it) over the bulky and large machines. He had picked a platinum gray sports car (because it was the only one that looked decent amongst the selection he was provided by the company and he wanted something fast and something low to the ground). While some of his colleagues whistled at the pictures of the new sport scar that was delivered to the company's private garage in the suburbs, he was completely appalled by its sight. He didn't even want to think of parking spaces or the amount of petrol the car would be consuming. His bike was currently in a smaller garage (again owned by the company) for people like him who had to undergo several undercover assignments where their current life's preferences and habits were a big no-no.

The more he thought about the fact that he wouldn't be driving a motorbike for heavens know how long, the more Kakashi sighed with irritation. The elevator door slid open and he was glad to step out of the little box (the stupid elevator music was starting to really, really piss him off), digging his hand in to one of the side pockets of his black business suit jacket that he wore over dark maroon untucked dress shirt and a pair of low riding jeans. As he jingled for the new key in his key ring, Kakashi hoped that the company had it in their right mind to actually bless him with a bathtub as well. He knew that the person handling the accounts department wasn't very fond of him ever since he punched the guy's nose when he was sixteen and always made sure that his accommodations during his undercover assignments had one single flaw (like the lack of a bathtub or say, a cooking stove) just to smite him.

He really, really hoped that there was a bathtub. The more he thought about soaking as he turned the lock of his apartment door, the more he relished on the idea of getting drunk and missing tomorrow's appointments.

Grumbling under his breath, Kakashi pushed the door open and felt for the light switch on the wall. The room flooded with light as soon as the click sounded off and he was greeted by several popping noises and flying confetti, a few helium filled balloons and two of his colleagues blowing party-flutes in front of his face. Bits and pieces of the confetti landed on his hair just as some of the balloons started hovering lazily against the ceiling. Down the hall and in to the wide living room, Kakashi saw a poorly made yellow banner with green paint that said, 'Welcome To Your Temporary New Home, Kakashi'. The more he stared at the banner, the more he wondered if the small odd shapes in the corners were either lizards or daisies (in a very ugly shade of orange too). He also started wondering if those were indeed potato chips or potato skins sitting in a bowl on his living room's center table along with a smaller bowl of what looked like green goop (he was trying to convince himself that it was yoghurt dip for the chips-skins thing). The poor choice of confetti colors along with the balloons was a horrible contrast to his apartment's white walls and dark blue-gray marble floors.

"You people really shouldn't have." He said quietly, glancing at the faces of the people he knew for years.

Genma blew the party-flute again, the rolling paper hitting his pale cheek. "Well, you didn't think we'd leave you alone to wallow in this boring house the first day did you? Let me toss that in to the room."

The weight of the duffel bag disappeared from his shoulders along with Genma who rounded the corner to dispose of the bag. A heavy hairy arm replaced the weight on his shoulder and Kakashi was greeted with the smell of cigarettes and aftershave and a grinning face framed by a dirty beard. "Genma sent me pictures of the car. It's a sexy piece of thing."

Kakashi blinked. "My bike _is_ a sexy piece of thing."

Asuma threw his head back and laughed. "You never change. Oi, Tenzou! Start pouring the drinks! This guy needs to loosen up!" Tenzou - who released the balloons to the ceiling earlier - grinned and made a small salute towards Kakashi. Kakashi couldn't help but somehow twitch an odd smile at the sight of the young man lugging around a large cooler filled with different kinds of beer. "My wife made pasta and the cake." Asuma grinned some more before dragging Kakashi towards the living room and pushing him down the couch where the said pasta dish and cake (along with the potato skins - Kakashi was pretty sure of it by now - and the green goop).

"How's the kid, Asuma?"

"Oh he's fine. Growing up so fast! Look here, look here!" Asuma pulled a picture of his son from his wallet and shoved it up Kakashi's nose in his excitement. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

It was a very chubby baby with cherub-like cheeks and a tuft of dark hair on its otherwise rather bald-ish head. "Uh, yeah grown up. In good health too." Genma reappeared in the room with a stack of paper plates with Raidou in tow with a small bucket of ice. "Gimme' some pasta, Genma."

The night pretty much went on with them getting full on Asuma's wife (Kurenai's) pasta and cake (the potato thing were actually potato skins - Kakashi's guess was right - and yoghurt dip dyed green courtesy of Gai who couldn't stay for the party because he was called in for an emergency meeting) and later on getting drunk on beer and some of the wine that Tenzou brought with him from his most recent business trip in the Earth City. Kakashi watched with amusement - and familiarity - at how Genma started singing off tuned with Asuma as his backup and Tenzou snoozing on the floor with Asuma's shoes as his pillow. Raidou was quiet as always, staring at the window and taking large gulps of his beer every few minutes or so.

It was past midnight when Genma and Asuma finally keeled over the couch and slumped on the floor amidst the litter of their own empty beer cans and paper cups dead to the world, their snores joining Tenzou's soft ones. Kakashi started laughing till his sides ached and tears trickled down both his eyes at the hilarity of it all. A drunk and passed out Asuma and Genma (and an alcohol-induced sleep Tenzou) never failed to kill his brain and lungs.

"You know, it's not that funny." Raidou mumbled, setting his can down and arranging Tenzou's head on one of the throw pillows while he nudged Asuma's shoes away with his foot. Kakashi rubbed at his eyes, feeling a bit woozy from the alcohol as he watched Raidou put a pillow under Asuma's head and then Genma's. It was the gentleness in Raidou's gesture when he lifted Genma's head off the ground that somehow brought a pang to Kakashi's chest (even when he knew he was dead drunk).

"Did you tell him?"

"Tell who what exactly?" Raidou asked, playing stupid.

Kakashi frowned. He knew that Raidou's heart crumbled bit by bit just by watching Genma fool around with lots of people (men and women alike) for it showed on the tired looking scarred face. Raidou was the older brother he never had (they were all brothers in some twisted way - Tenzou being the youngest of the lot) and just like anyone in a family would, Kakashi somewhat worried over Raidou's mental health. He never saw the guy date anyone let alone try to move on past his secret-crush-love-thing for Genma. The two friends argued more than a cat would with a dog (or vice versa).

"This has been going on for eight years, Raidou. When are you going to tell this oaf what you really think about him?" Kakashi sighed, scratching an itchy spot in his scalp and somehow through his alcohol induced stupor and sudden seriousness, he wondered if he was getting dandruff.

"When the time is right, Kakashi. He's still hung up from what happened to Hayate." Raidou answered in a low almost pained voice as he picked up a new beer can from the cooler and took a large swig from it.

"You and I know perfectly well that there was nothing between Genma _and_ Hayate. Hayate was a trainee under Genma's command."

"And that his death was due to a leak in our network. Yes, I know, Kakashi, I _know_."

"You're pathetic." Kakashi grumbled, feeling his temper rise.

"And you're not?" Raidou fired back.

Kakashi reached up towards the back of his head and started pulling at his hair, a habit he recently developed when the animalistic anger reared its head back and howled inside him; the pain in his scalp gave him something else to focus on instead of the anger itself. "I just don't see why you keep stalling when you've got chances right in front of you."

"This isn't about me." Raidou said, after a moment of silence, truth and realization dawning in his eyes.

Kakashi stiffened, knowing that he said too much. Alcohol did wonders to the emotional side of his brain; it allowed the normally suppressed emotions to flow free and Kakashi had no control over it (although he had control over it when he was sober and for someone as emotionally broken as he, that was saying something). "It's Genma-related. It _is_ about you."

Raidou set his beer can down and looked at Kakashi steadily. "Why did you accept this assignment?"

"What assignment?" Kakashi played stupid.

He didn't want to talk or even remember why he accepted the post of being the new teacher for the apprenticeship-program that was being sponsored by Konoha High School in co-operation with Uzumaki Corps. It was basically a strategic teaching program to selected students (who were to be grouped in to three) and assigned two instructors; one was the classroom instructor (or C.I - because classes were held indoors) in which they'd be teaching politics, formal speech, telephone conversation practice with clients, lettering and basically all sorts of filing and office-type of paperwork that was a standard in _all_ working fields of the globe. The second instructor, called team instructor (or T.I) was to handle all practical works, including city routes and touring techniques, meeting and studying progress in other firms and companies, self defense, the various arts of striking deals and bargains and basically how to handle clients outside the office. Some people dubbed it the dirty work; Kakashi called it reality.

The only thing different in his assignment was that he wasn't just a normal T.I; he was going to be a bodyguard to the heir of the company as well.

Raidou wasn't convinced and pressed on without pity or consideration. "It's been almost a year, Kakashi. Why are you even bothering?"

"There was no one else." Kakashi shrugged, averting his eyes towards the window and tapping his thumb against the beer can he was holding. "Tenzou was busy with another assignment."

"Stop making excuses, Kakashi."

"Oh what do you want to hear me say?" Kakashi said quietly, the temper in him rising and fuming like a wild and hungry beast. He watched as Raidou blinked in surprise at the horribly twisted expression he had on his face. Despite his quiet and flat tone, his eyes glowed with the intensity of hell's fire, the enraging animal within him banging against the bars of the cage that is the remnants of his control and restraint over his emotions. "That this is all about getting closer to _him_? He filed a restraining order on me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

"I warned you from the beginning, Kakashi. A year ago, when we were assigned the assignment of assessing Iruka to see if he was indeed fit to be given the position of C.I for this year's batch and to make sure he didn't have anything funny planned for the heir considering his history, I fucking warned you against your tactics! But you and Genma wouldn't listen!"

"Hey -"

"Let's do something fun, he said. And you agreed! Treat him like trash and then court him and make him fall in love with you in three months. Congratulations! You managed to pull that off along with a messy break up, painful betrayal and getting two other people involved and hurt in the whole mess. Not to mention the expenses. Tell me, Kakashi, how does it feel to have your fucking oh so good plan backfire on you and your fucking cold heart ripped out of your chest? Does it hurt?"

The can in Kakashi's hand made a resounding clank against the wall behind Raidou's head before landing on the marble floor with a louder clatter. Kakashi felt his chest heave and ache from the blows of Raidou's verbal assault. His heart felt like red hot iron coils were squeezing it.

"What would you know about anything?" Kakashi hissed, glaring with an intensity that made his red eye flash dangerously.

"And you call me pathetic?" Raidou said bitterly and with disgust. "I don't fall for my mission subjects and I don't hurt them either, unless I'm told to."

"You dare accuse me of things you've never felt or been through?" Kakashi asked hotly. "You're afraid of a dead man that didn't even mean anything other than perhaps a younger brother who Genma liked to tease constantly. You've never even tried and it's _pissing me off_ because he's fucking in front of you and you're doing nothing!" Kakashi spat, turning his head away. "At least you don't have a restraining order. At least you'd get a chance to apologize if something went wrong, or to even beg on your knees if it comes to that." It wasn't his habit to whine or lose his temper so quickly, but around Raidou, it was as if it was normal.

Kakashi thought of the restraining order from the higher courts tucked in a manila envelope in one of the boxes that were brought in earlier by the moving trucks. He remembered the shock he went through upon seeing the court order and how his chest constricted so tight that he couldn't breathe. The amount of hatred radiated from the single folder containing simple and formal words from the court was choking. It was all he needed to see and know at how Iruka will never forgive him nor does he own that small place that he managed to earn somewhat in Iruka's heart in the middle of what should have been his assignment.

"You didn't answer my question. Why did you accept this assignment? Anyone could have been T.I and bodyguard. It didn't have to be you." Raidou asked again after a long moment of silence, voice soft and seeking for a way to understand.

Kakashi thought about it deeply. He thought about the young boy who showed great potential to be the best Head of Uzumaki Corps has seen in ages, better than his father (the fourth). He thought of how the Fourth quite literally raised him as his own son when his father fell to his death after a political assignment gone wrong. He remembered the pancakes and the orange kitchen, the smell of home and the comforts of the Fourth's own library, his teaching voice and his unending patience with a shock ridden, quiet and socially challenged skinny little brat that was the only son to Hatake Sakumo. He also remembered the joyous expression of his teacher and mentor (and almost father) when he broke the news to Kakashi that he was going to be a father soon and that he wanted Kakashi to be there for the baby too.

Amidst all the hidden memories of his deceased mentor, somewhere along the middle, he saw the grown up baby and the man that was meant to mean nothing to him eating ramen together under the comforts and shade of a rickety old stand near the school, laughing and acting like a real family. He knew he had no place in the boy's life and probably never will even if he was willing to teach him everything he knew in thanks to his father; he also knew that he had no place in the boy's new C.I either.

"I'm doing it for Naruto." Kakashi said, determined and sure of himself. "I can only repay his father by passing on everything I know and can to his son and push him to be the leader he was meant to be. And to protect him."

Raidou looked at Kakashi with pity and remained silent, not asking further questions. Kakashi didn't blame him.

His own words sounded like a big fat lie to his own ears anyway.

XXX 

Kakashi woke up with the headache from hell. The moment he turned from his sheetless bed (the plastic of the new mattress was rather irritating to his ears and back), he came face to face with a goopy looking brown liquid in a large glass. He groaned, knowing that it was one of Tenzou's drinks to cure hangovers. The guy pretty much wouldn't tell anyone what he put in the horrible smelling shit-tasting brown drink but it was magical. Tenzou was just weird when it comes to herbal and old-fashioned remedies (Kakashi was guessing because of his love and affinity towards plants).

Sitting up from the bed, Kakashi groaned and grabbed the glass off the side table. He chugged down the drink without stopping, cursing loudly once the glass was empty and dizziness shot up his head. He fell back against the plastic covered mattress and shut his eyes for a few minutes before he even bothered to think of standing up, let alone speak. It was a full ten minutes before he attempted to stand and putter back in to the living room (which was now clear of all the empty beer cans, plastic cups, empty plates and wine bottles) to find Tenzou talking on the phone while leafing through a thick folder, Raidou speaking to a bunch of engineers while Genma gave directions to workers coming in and out of the apartment with monitors, sound and surveillance equipment along several rolls of electrical cables of varying kinds. Asuma was nowhere to be found amidst all the chaos and busy looking home-turned-workstation.

Kakashi remembered somewhere in his mission briefing that not only will he be keeping an eye on Naruto but he was going to have to keep an eye on Iruka as well. The company did not trust the man who seemingly had a hand in the heir's attempted assassination and simply wanted to ensure that Naruto's full protection was top notch; he was the priority above all other priorities after all.

His apartment was like a busy beehive and the chatter, footsteps, hammering and drilling was starting to get to his head. He was hoping that by the morning he could finally get to unpack but seeing the scene around him, Kakashi figured that it probably wouldn't be good for his health (and to those around him) to linger in such a noisy and busy place especially when he just 'recovered' from a hangover. He stepped aside when a man walked past him with two boxes of flat screen monitors on top of his head. Raidou caught sight of him glaring at everything and anything and approached him.

"Whatever you have planned for today in this house, cancel it." Raidou said quietly, pulling out the large folder he had tucked under his arm. "And these just came in. Details for your assignment."

Kakashi glanced down at the sealed brown envelope with his name printed in the middle. He took the envelope and found himself sighing quietly. "I'm going to step out and run a few errands. I have to go pick up my car."

Raidou nodded. "Leave all this to us. And you reek of beer and crap."

Kakashi smirked and turned towards the room he just came out of. Raidou, Genma and Tenzou were all assigned under him as backup. The only difference this time was that Gai wasn't with him on this assignment since he was an appointed T.I as well (but would be available if he needed an extra hand anytime and vice versa - he and Gai were 'friends' and had a mutual 'understanding' that way).

The first thing he did was to get rid of the smell of alcohol on him and he was grateful that his room had a connecting bathroom (so he didn't have to wander back and forth his room and the smaller bathroom outside in the hall). He took longer than he should have with his shower and came out dripping wet and cold, leaving water-foot-prints on the marble floor. The room was to himself so he walked around in nothing but his skin and started sifting through his unpacked bag on the ground, looking for a pair of clean denim and a button down dress shirt to go with it. As he looked through the contents of his bag, he warily eyed the several brand new dress shirts folded on top of the other with their tags still on them; he thought of how much a headache the assignment was going to be.

Unlike his previous assignment at the university where he got to dress casually as much as he liked (and preferred), this new assignment required him to be rather 'dressy'. He placed several suit orders at the place he got his clothing from (most ANBUs get their stuff from the 'Joint' - he reminded himself that he was going to have to go pick them up later) and was not looking forward in to walking around all day with a shirt and tie. He would rather wear denim and a shirt with a tie to go with it since he felt hindered in slacks and felt silly fighting in them.

Pulling on his jeans and leaving it unbuttoned, he grabbed the comb and started running it through his unevenly cut hair (he cuts it himself), trying to remember the list of things he had to do for the day other than to pick up his car. He thought about his dogs who were in a private pound waiting for him and thought that he can probably drop by and check on them later in the evening with a few snacks to pamper them with before shipping them all off to their new home. Pulling on one of the dress shirts he took out earlier, he stuffed his pockets with his wallet and keys, checked his appearance once more and picked up the folded bandana on his dresser, tying it around his head and pulling it over his scarred eye. He was ruffling his hair up a bit, wanting to look as casual as he can while he stepped out of his room with the folder tucked under his arm only to come face to face with Tenzou who was rewiring something within the small drill machine in his hand, screws held between his lips.

Kakashi didn't even bother wondering why Tenzou was messing around with the drill. He walked out of his jungle of an 'apartment' and in to the quieter and empty corridor. He looked back at the open doorway to his apartment and listened to the heavy footsteps and ruckus emitting from within. He knew that getting his surveillance equipment set up was going to take a lot of time and he knew he wasn't going to get much sleep.

Kakashi sighed and pressed the call button of the elevator a little too harshly than he normally would. It was going to be a long tiring day.

XXX

The bus ride to the private garage in the city suburbs did nothing to elevate the remnants of Kakashi's hangover. It anything, Kakashi felt that the mixture Tenzou left on his nightstand was starting to wear out. By the time his bus reached the stop, he was starting to feel Kurenai's pasta wanting to pop out of his throat. He tried to suppress his suddenly overactive imagination that the beer in his gut was fermenting (again) and that he was going to be blowing out toxic fumes (along with Kurenai's pasta of course) if the flipping sensation in his gut refused to settle down.

Judging by how lady luck was on his side, his stomach flipped even more and he barely avoided tripping on the stone step that lead to what looked more like a hangar rather than an automobile garage. Kakashi was not surprised to find a few private jets lined up within his viewing range along with several handsome looking motorbikes.

"Fuckin' lucky assholes." He grumbled, visible eye lingering on one of the shiny red bikes with chrome rims that was just screaming 'I'm a bloody fortune, ha!' at anyone who even laid eyes on it.

Turning his head before he actually did bother to walk (there was slight sway - _very slight _- in his step) over towards the bike and manage to get some of his vomit in that expensive leather chair and paint job, Kakashi grumbled as he made his way towards the small office the far corner of the garage. Several guards were positioned in various places, armed with a rifle and keeping an eye out on the place (even though they looked like they were ready to keel over and fall asleep). Kakashi nodded to one of them as he passed by the young looking guard before stepping in to the office.

There sat a stubby man smoking a cigar with a face that Kakashi could only describe as stupid. The man was bald, save for the thin patch of light hair at the back of his skull that he smartly combed upwards so that he had _some_ hair on _top_ of his shiny bald head. He had eyes far too big for a face so round and small accompanied by a pair of eyebrows that was quite close to what Gai donned and a nose that reminded Kakashi of a horse's nostrils. The mustache didn't do much improvement either; Kakashi tilted his head to one side and was tempted to pull his makeshift eye patch up to make sure that it wasn't a festival mask. The stupid face remained a stupid face.

"Yar' the man who wants that silver baby, yes?"

Kakashi nearly - _nearly_ - winced at the squeaky chipmunk like voice. It somehow managed to increase his headache ten fold and the smell of the cheap cigar (which Kakashi suspiciously thought looked like chunk off a wooden log) was not helping his current situation of hurling Kurenai's food.

"Yes. I won't take much of your time." Kakashi managed to say and blinked when the man _hopped_ off his chair and headed for the door. It was only then did Kakashi catch sight of the large scar running over the flabby neck; he figured the scar was the cause of the man's squeaky voice.

"I'll take you there myself. Company called. Said you'd be late."

Kakashi rolled his eye even as he passed by the guard (who started to snigger) at the man's words. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what the short man's name was but he did remember that it was something really dumb. He couldn't be bothered to flip open the folder he had tucked under his arm to check. The man didn't need his name and vice versa. He was going to get the goddamn car and find a deserted cafe to wallow over the thick folder and pray that he doesn't puke. He could care less as to what may happen to the car; he just didn't want to get that disgusting aftertaste once he got rid of all the acid bubbling in his stomach.

They crossed the garage and entered another door that lead to another division of the apparently very big garage (for one, he didn't think it was _that_ big). The short man signaled two guards to open the main doors and a few steps later, Kakashi found himself staring at impressive piece machine with black leather upholstery and a sound system to die for. Kakashi gave the car one long look before coming to a conclusion.

It was a fucking useless piece of junk that was going to kill his wallet; he wanted his bike back. Preferably at that very instant.

"That's it?"

"_That's it?_" The short man wheezed, eyes widening to the point that it reminded Kakashi of a dinner plate. "This, my good sir, is one of the fifty cars ever made, world wide."

"Whatever." Kakashi grumbled, pulling his key out and pressing the unlock button. The driver's door gave a popping noise and Kakashi walked over to it and stared at the tinted glass. He lifted the door over head, tossed the folder carelessly inside (which made the poor short man wheeze even more with disbelief at the maltreatment and lack of affection towards the leather upholstery) before he placed a foot in. "Thanks."

Kakashi slid in without another word, or listening to anything the short man had to say, started the car and recklessly stepped on the gas pedal after releasing the hand break and shifting gears. The car jolted forward, leaving a trail of rubber marks on the ground and deafening screech in its wake.

It didn't take more than a single sharp turn for Kakashi to start swearing to everything holy and great over the piece of shit he got as a replacement for his bike. It didn't stop him from cursing the Head of the company and for his own stupidity for agreeing to the mission in the first place. Driving at over a hundred sixty kilometers an hour, Kakashi headed further in to the suburbs till he found a small diner. He hit the breaks without thinking causing the car to swerve a bit at the sudden stop, shifted the gears on reverse and parked right on top of the sidewalk.

He got out of the car, glared at the silver paintjob and slammed the door with more force than necessary. He made his way to the diner and pulled out a few bills from his wallet.

"Uh, sir, your car, that's not really -"

"Biggest cup of coffee you have. And the strongest. Six spoons of sugar, no cream." Kakashi grumbled, clearly in a very, _very_ sour mood.

Whatever words the cashier had in his throat died the moment Kakashi looked at him straight in to the eye with the money nearly up the poor young man's nose. Kakashi was quite impressed with the cafe because his coffee came exactly three minutes later, with an extra brownie to go with it. He mumbled his thanks, took his coffee and free brownie and left the diner without another back glance.

Surprisingly, his drive towards a 'quiet place' took another two hours before he stopped in a deserted mountain region overlooking the city. He switched off the car, pushed the door open and downed his coffee without stopping. He didn't touch the brownie and left it sitting on the passenger seat on top of the folder that he was supposed to be reading. He couldn't give a damn about work at the moment and didn't want to do anything other than just sit there with the wind his face and enjoy the peace and quiet that never seem to come towards him anymore in the past few months.

How long he stayed there, he wasn't sure, but the queasy feeling in his stomach was somewhat calmer and when he finally took a good look around him, the sun was already starting to vanish from the horizon, tainting his surroundings in light purple. He completely forgot about his dogs and fiddled with his cell phone as he pulled out of his parking spot and started making his way towards the city again. He will have to read the data before he went to sleep that night, after a nice shower, some food and maybe a pillow under his head.

As he drove at a fairly fast speed, he made several phone calls and re-planning all the appointments he made that day for the next day instead, including the pickup arrangements for his dogs. Somewhere in the middle of his phone conversation with the dog pound, his conversation was interrupted by Raidou's call-waiting.

"Uh, yeah, I'll come drop by tomorrow. Yes definitely, I need to get them home anyway. Yes, thank you and I'm sorry for the trouble. Really. All right, thanks." Kakashi glared at his phone, keeping a firm grip on the wheel and pressed the accept call on Raidou's insistent ringing to the point that his thumb ached. "What?"

_"Where in god's name __**are you**__?"_ Raidou hissed venomously from the other side of the line.

"I am in the middle of a fucking freeway. What do you want?"

There was a dawning silence from the other end of the line before Raidou spoke. _"Please __**tell me **__that you managed to pick one of your formal wear today?"_

It sounded almost like a plea to Kakashi's ears. "No. I forgot."

_"You were supposed to be here two hours ago! It's the meeting orientation party and the Head is __**furious**__! In case you forgot, wise ass, you are an important guest here! I made sure that tonight's formal party was highlighted in your timetable! __**Are you even listening to me**__?"_

Kakashi stepped on the pedal, increasing his speed that it was almost touching the end of the speedometer, ignoring all the road radars on the way to the city. "I don't have a suit. I don't think I -"

_"Just get your crack ass over here! I'll head back and pick up one of your suits or tux, whichever I can get to first. I just hope you didn't puke when you left this morning. She's already chewing my ass and Genma is already running out of excuses in covering up for you!"_

"Fine." Kakashi ended the call and somehow managed to dodge all the road patrol officers by flashing his identification card. He stole a glance at the timetable that was indeed inside folder and glanced at the address. It was in the middle of town, in the busiest area where all the posh hotels, casinos and restaurants were located. Kakashi hated that area with a passion.

It took another hour before he finally tossed his keys to the valet parking and found Raidou teetering outside the main entrance of the hotel, suit-bag folded over an arm, shoe bag in another hand, pacing the entrance back and forth. Kakashi managed to keep all the contents of his stomach intact the whole journey and he'll be damned if his stomach acted up now. He was starting to wonder if there was a particular ingredient in any of the food he ate the other night that just did not sit well with beer. His headache was already more than he can manage and to top it off with an entire evening of socializing and information gathering, Kakashi doubted he could stay on his toes for that long.

Raidou stopped mid pace as his whipped around before he latched a firm grip on Kakashi's arm and jerked him in to the hotel, across the lobby and in to the men's room in the far corner just beyond the elevators. "You are the biggest moron I have _ever_ come across in my entire _life_! What were you thinking?"

Kakashi caught the suit-bag being shoved at his chest and shrugged. "I lost track of time."

_"Change!"_

Kakashi sighed and entered one of the cubicles and started peeling off his clothes and kicking off his shoes. He unzipped the suit-bag and frowned. "A tux?"

"Don't complain. It was the first in the bulk of clothes you ordered that I grabbed." Raidou grumbled.

Kakashi bit back a curse and pulled on the silk shirt along with the black wool pants. He was secretly grateful that Raidou didn't forget to ask for a belt. He came out of the cubicle half dressed, handed Raidou his previously worn clothes and started fussing over the black silk tie. While he tied the proper tie knot to go well with the look of the tux, Kakashi stole a glance at Raidou's attire.

The elder man was also wearing a black tux, matched with a burgundy contemporary tie and full-back vest, red-stone cufflinks and a pair of shoes that Kakashi knew the company insisted Raidou wear (it looked imported and Kakashi knew just how much Raidou hated those slightly pointy toed leather shoes). Kakashi wasn't surprised to find his own black leather shoes pointy toed as well. The designers at the Joint were given strict orders to make sure that everyone assigned missions that involved dressing formally or semi-formally was dressed _properly_ and to pointedly ignore complaints that came their way. Kakashi long ago gave up putting up a fight against the designers of the Joint because it was a losing battle. Besides, it wasn't like the designers themselves ever let _any_ of the ANBUs down - Kakashi always received compliments on his dress attire whenever there was a function. Eyeing Raidou then, he'd say they did a pretty good job. Raidou looked dashingly handsome (even the scar on his face looked handsome).

"You look good." Kakashi mumbled, tugging at his tie and fixing the collar folds over it before pulling out the platinum vest out of the suit-bag. He didn't really like the backless vest but he pulled it on anyway and caught a glance of Raidou prodding at his gelled hair, cheeks flushed at the compliment. "What's Genma wearing?"

"Tux. Pin striped vest. Black." Raidou answered, placing Kakashi's folded clothes in the suit bag.

"He looking any good?"

Raidou busied himself placing Kakashi previous shoes in to the shoe bag. "Yeah."

Kakashi nearly felt sorry for Raidou at how quietly and shyly he answered the question. He didn't say anything further and instead hurriedly pulled on his leather shoes and started fussing over his messy hair. He took the pocket comb Raidou handed him and got rid of the makeshift eye patch, tossing it in to the open suit bag Raidou held and strategically covered his scarred eye; after all, not everyone was comfy with staring at a person with mismatched eyes, especially if one of them was as red as a ruby. Raidou helped him adjust the beveled black onyx cufflinks and studs before tossing Kakashi a bottle of cologne he pulled out of his pocket.

"What are you, a store?"

"I just bought that bottle a few minutes ago. You owe me sixty-thousand ryos by the way. It was on sale and discount." Raidou grumbled.

Kakashi stared at the bottle's label and noted that it was his favorite scent. He sprayed a good amount on himself before handing the bottle back to Raidou and pulling on his black wool tux jacket, buttoned up and inhaled deeply. He was as good as ready judging from how decent he looked in the mirror. "Maa, this is better than nothing I guess." Kakashi faced Raidou and pulled his arms slightly apart. "How do I look?"

Raidou smiled at him, giving a short nod. "You look good."

Kakashi managed to smile and clear his throat, his neck heating up at the sincerity of the answer (and compliment) as he followed Raidou out of the men's room. Raidou sweet talked his way to the receptionist of the hotel's lobby and managed to leave the suit and shoe bag with her till the party was over. They all but ran towards the main party hall of the hotel, where classical music was emanating behind the thick oak swinging doors. The attendees pulled the door open for them once they straightened and calmed their breathing down (running down halls was not a very smart thing to do).

"You did read the folder right? You know who you're supposed to be studying right?" Raidou asked, as the doors were pulled open and the party hall greeted them. It was all crystal, glamorous jewelry, fancy dresses and designer suits and tuxedos. At the far corner, a sonata was being played, the conductor standing on a higher platform and guiding his talented musicians. Waiters walked around with silver trays in matching black backless blazers, pants, silk shirts and ties, serving champagne and red wine to anyone who cared for a drink. Light snacks went around before the main course was served and Kakashi could see how much the women and men of high statures and business standings laughed and enjoyed the rather sparkling atmosphere; Kakashi blamed the golden marble floors, carved ceiling and shimmering chandelier glittering above them.

They stepped inside, walking and giving polite nods and greetings to whoever recognized them. Kakashi managed to school his oh-shit expression in to a neutral and business man expression instead while continuing to walk alongside Raidou. "Not really."

Raidou nearly frizzled like an angry cat at Kakashi's reply. "You are _so_ going to regret this later. I'll make sure of that _myself_."

Kakashi grinned and leered playfully at his friend; it was a bold statement and Kakashi knew very well that Raidou seldom spoke in such a manner unless his feathers were really, _really_ ruffled _and_ plucked. "Oho. What, you're going to rape me?" Kakashi singsonged. Raidou was about to fire an irritated reply, cheeks flushing at what he knew was horrible and _wrong _choice of words when Kakashi started laughing and walked right in to another person at the party. Kakashi sobered up instantly, habit and years of practice kicking in at that very moment. His face quickly changed to an apologetic one, while his aura still emanating a business-man like attitude. The poor sod who he walked in to was picking up the napkin he dropped on the ground, clad in a formal black tuxedo as well. "I'm terribly sorry. My bad, are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine thanks. Pardon me, I myself wasn't looking. Are you -"

Kakashi felt more than saw Raidou stiffen beside him and he realized why. The man speaking to him, clad in a smart black tux and navy blue silk vest and tie was already staring at him with a pale and pallid expression that he looked almost sick. Kakashi could hear the sudden loud rush of water in his ears, as all semblance of control drained from his face, his expression falling. For a brief moment, Kakashi thought that his heart grew out fists and was starting to bang at his ribcage insistently to leap out in to that _man's_ slightly trembling hands.

He remembered parting his lips to say his name, to yell at him as to why his hair was so short and to apologize to him then and there. His senses cleared and there was an almost audible mental snap of reality in his mind when a soft voice, almost like silver bells, interrupted the silence.

"Ara, Iruka-kun." A petite lady said, hand curling over Iruka's tanned one and eyeing both Kakashi and Raidou with curiosity and a polite smile on her cute heart-shaped face. "Are they acquaintances of yours?"

If Kakashi was pale earlier, then he resembled a walking corpse just about then.

TBC

Notes and Credits:

- Kakashi's car would be something too fancy like a Lamborghini or something.

- Suit descriptions taken from the many online stores I browsed through. Kakashi outfit in particular was a tuxedo I saw under Calvin Klein's design.

- Yoghurt and chips are yummy.

Uh, I finally got back on my ass and started writing again. I doubt I'd be updating every four days or so like what I first did with Roommate but I promise to try and update as fast as I can (at least once a week).

Anyways, uh, as always, I'd like to know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: OOC, weirdness, EMO-ness, sexual references and foul language. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

**OFFICEMATE**

Kakashi managed to ground himself once more and fix a _polite _smile of _indifference_ on his face, despite the amount of strain it was taking on his facial muscles. His mind was demanding and screaming to know who the pretty little lady was and why on earth was she standing too close to Iruka and managing to look like his goddamn wife.

Kakashi watched Iruka's paleness turn into an interesting shade of white somehow and felt a pang in his chest that he didn't think or imagine he'd feel if he ever did see Iruka again. It was stirring up his headache, making his hangover worse and somewhat managing to piss him off further. Everything was just starting to look very ugly to Kakashi and he couldn't stop the smile that was morphing in to a sneer he directed at the question the mild-mannered lady asked.

By some miracle, Genma chose to make an appearance then, clamping a hand firmly down on both Kakashi and Raidou's shoulders. "There you two are. Come on, _she_ is _waiting_."

Kakashi could have worshipped Genma then and there and by the looks on Iruka's face, it seemed the younger man was _so_ grateful for the distraction and quickly consoled the lady around his arm. "I'm not sure dear. We just bumped in to each other. Busy party and all."

Kakashi cleared his throat and fought to keep the smile and politeness in his face and voice (it was a losing battle). "I'm sorry again."

The apology came out strangled, almost desperate and clingy before Kakashi dipped his head towards Iruka, then once more to the lady and walked away from the couple. He felt sick to the pits of his being and whatever control he had on his stomach decided to fail then. How he managed to get from the hall to men's room without alarming anyone (and somewhat managing to keep that air of dignity and poise around himself), he wasn't sure. He picked the first cubicle, got on his knees and finally - with such relief that it was almost like a blessing - emptied his guts in to the toilet seat.

The sound of the lock turning somewhere between his mid-heaves made him aware of his two friends and teammates standing behind him, looking at him with something akin to pity and disappointment.

"Err you okay?" Genma managed to say, albeit awkwardly.

It was as clear as day that he wasn't okay (he was ever okay for the past year _anyway_) and that his stomach was not behaving. "Right. Rule number one when throwing home welcoming parties for Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi grumbled, grunted and spat a new round of semi-digested food and acids in to the toilet seat before cursing in seven different Fire dialects. "Never, _ever_, have Asuma bring _any_ of his wife's food. Again!"

Somehow, much to Kakashi's relief, whatever pitying gaze that was lingering in Genma and Raidou's eyes vanished and was replaced with mirth as both of them turned away to hide their snickering. Nothing more was said about his run-in with Iruka, nor the other man's blatant denial of even knowing Kakashi at all.

For that, Kakashi was grateful.

XXX

Kakashi got the firmest handshake of the century when he finally managed to greet the Head - who looked stunning in her emerald designer green gown that shamelessly accentuated her large firm breasts and her smooth peachy skin pallor to everyone in that party hall. The crushing grip on his hand nearly left Kakashi weak on the knees because for a moment he really did think that his hand was a goner (it sure as hell felt like it). When Tsunade Hime wasn't busy entertaining people or discussing company politics (statistics, stocks and/or introducing Kakashi to everyone and making up small polite talks), she would turn to look at Kakashi sternly and glare the living hell out of him. If Kakashi was a lesser man, he would have cowered and peed a puddle then and there. The low-toned-hissing-scolding would have worked if her breasts weren't bouncing with every step or shoulder movement she made. The large mounds of flesh was enough to make any pervert get a hard-on and probably faint (because it was a heavenly sight), but Kakashi merely focused on them as a distraction from all the angry vibes she was radiating because in his opinion, boobs were better than the low-toned-hissing-scolding.

"And I will not tolerate any sort of shameful display in this party!" Tsunade mumbled, firmly and with no room for argument.

Kakashi's senses snapped up at her sentence and he redirected his gaze from her bouncy breasts to her irritated face. "What shameful display? Everything is going fine."

A man in a black suit and olive-green unbuttoned silk shirt approached Tsunade and greeted her, complimenting her looks and gown and what a success the orientation party was. Two other people (a middle aged woman that was literally glowing yellow from all the gold jewelry she donned on her wrists, neck and fingers and an elderly man who was apparently a successful journalist) came to make some more small talk before Tsunade turned to look at Kakashi once more to finally answer his hanging question. "Do not forget what a headache it was to actually sort out that restraining order. You will not come within a twenty foot radius close to that man and his fiancé."

He knew just who Tsunade was referring to (and he didn't need to be reminded twice; he didn't want to be hauled off by the court officers or any officer for that matter). Kakashi didn't think he heard right though because he blinked and stared at Tsunade even more. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but his what?"

Annoyed full red-lipstick-coated lips pursed to a thin line as she turned away from the person who greeted her while they made their way to their sitting table in the next hall for dinner to be served. Kakashi felt like a shell that was thrown hard against a wall and it must have showed in what little face he had exposed (since his hair was covering half of his face anyway) because whatever annoyance she felt quickly disappeared in to dawning understanding and mild confusion.

"I ordered Raidou to give you his file. You didn't read it, did you?" She asked, her young face falling and showing its true age. Kakashi knew it was her love and affection for him but he couldn't stop his face color from dropping a shade or two. The change in his facial color was all the answer she needed because she sighed tiredly and walked even faster to the table, arm hooked around Kakashi's in a sweet maternal way. "Sit down." She said, and Kakashi did just that, mind blank.

When a glass of strong red wine was all but shoved to his face, Kakashi snapped from his blank state of mind and blinked dumbly at the glass. He took it without question, downed it without question then turned to look up at Tsunade, shrugging. "It's good wine."

"Of course it is. I chose it myself." She answered, kindly not dwelling on the subject of Iruka and his 'fiancé'.

Tsunade sat down beside him, later on joined by Jiraiya's presence and soon by Raidou and Genma. They were acting as her bodyguards and escorts, Jiraiya as her right-hand man (the woman being Shizune herself) and the only man missing was Ibiki (and that was because the man _never_ attended social gatherings because he really, really hated it. People got scared too). Kakashi listened to the music play, to the socializing mundane chatter of people around him as he carefully stored nitbits of conversation that he deemed useful information in his brain, scanning the room from his sitting positioned while he sipped his wine.

"Enjoy the wine, boys. It's for free." Jiraiya grinned, raising his glass to Kakashi and his other two comrades. Tsunade didn't look very impressed and remained tight-lipped about the joke.

Starters was served as he watched the headmistress of the Naruto's school chatter cheerfully with a bunch of men her age, obviously looking like a woman who wanted to take someone home with her that night (and hoping that it'd be a good catch). Kakashi was glad for their table's positioning because it was an advantage to him (and judging by how Genma and Raidou were focused on their surroundings, they seem to share the same opinion) since he could see the entire dining hall clearly without straining his neck too much and looking so obvious. Lip reading was a bummer but in a room so crowded and with targets so many, Kakashi felt that he and his other two comrades (and he secretly knew that Tsunade, especially Jiraiya were in on the lip-reading as well) were doing an excellent job of pretending to be stuck up elites in a sparkling party of expensive wine and food with names he can't seem to memorize.

He moved on to the next table, studying the school vice principal and his wife, who were busily chatting happily with the manager of the accounts department of the school (a middle aged man and his rather sweet looking mistress), laughing and pouring each other wine. Their conversation was dull and Kakashi merely lingered with their lip movements for a few more minutes before moving to the next table. He wasn't really sure if they were his targets on the list or not having not read the list himself, but the room wasn't that big and he figured he'd read everyone instead of just the ones on the list.

It was a standard re-evaluation procedure before the new school year started. Although Kakashi knew that most of them were loyal to a T, precautions were still necessary. Routine check never killed anyone even if it was starting to really get boring hearing the same conversation over and over again, knowing that they weren't plotting anything judging by their postures, gestures and the way their eyes moved when they spoke. Kakashi poured himself another glass of wine and blinked several times since his eye was being strained far too much from all the staring (and he knew he looked very handsome when he stared at people) and lip reading.

"I don't give a bloody damn if his son graduated medical school or if that new therapeutic massage is out or how the stocks have dropped. Why are they all talking about the same thing?" Genma mumbled quietly, glaring at the starter-plate before him. He chewed on one of the fancy bread-like thing with what Kakashi was assuming was cheese and continued acting like a prat. "Got anything useful?"

Kakashi shook his head. "One of them is pondering the prospect of test-tube babies."

Raidou cleared his throat immediately, because Tsunade was starting to glare at the both of them and Jiraiya snickering wasn't helping things either. "You two." Raidou warned.

Kakashi didn't blame him because despite the fact that Kakashi was the 'leader' of the mission group (even though they were rather divided in terms of task assignment), it was Raidou who dealt with the politics that is the Head's temper and wrath in the end. Kakashi got his fair verbal head butting but he always managed to weasel out of it somehow and in the end, Tsunade would pick Raidou who took every verbal assault and lecture like the honorable man that he was; he would remain silent and ashamed of the fact that despite their experiences, they still got lectured. After that, Kakashi would be on the other end of Raidou's wrath along with Genma who always seemed to be the fuel to the fire.

And judging by how the pleasant expressions were completely gone from Raidou and Genma's faces, Kakashi knew that they were at it again. He also noticed how absent minded he was being; he missed the entire argument and it was such a shame because Raidou was flushed and Genma was gritting his teeth. It was going to get nasty and Kakashi was going to stop it. "Hey, hey, look. They have a different kind of wine."

"You two, wrap it up before I fire you myself. And I'll take your health insurance while I'm at it." Tsunade warned, smile all but strained on her face.

Genma huffed in his seat, turning his head slightly away from Raidou and went about lip reading whoever else was left on his list. Raidou apologized quietly and sighed. Kakashi almost - _almost _- felt sorry for him (and he never really blamed him for his lectures because if anything, Raidou deserves that much for all the brute and horrible word lashing he gets from the Head on their behalf). He also _almost_ felt like slamming Genma's head in to the plate of whatever-bread-thing in front of him because Kakashi was pretty sure that even someone as dense as their upcoming company heir (that is Naruto) would know that Raidou was smitten over Genma and that Genma was being a complete corpse about it (however unintentional it was).

Sipping his wine and leaning back comfortably and smugly against the soft red velvet dining chair, Kakashi crossed his legs and continued to scan through the room, storing tidbits of information that he found useful and sometimes lingering a little too long in to a conversation when he found it amusing (like the group of secretaries from the administration department were giggling and tittering over the new Icha-Icha movie, the sight and apparently soft and quietly spoken words was tickling Kakashi's toes; it's not everyday he finds a _group_ of _females_ discussing such dirty bed tactics in a formal event and in polite speech to boot).

"Keep smiling to yourself like that and Ibiki is going to take you under his own microscope." Genma warned, not batting an eyelash as he pretended to be watching the orchestra performance when instead, he was watching someone's table (obviously).

"Oh it's nothing. Just that there's a bunch of cute little women over there talking about the several uses of a butt plug." Kakashi said calmly and with enough control that it sounded rather dignified (and almost princely) if not for the content of the sentence itself.

"Ahh, my new Icha-Icha movie hit. It seems like that butt plug scene has caused quite a stir with the female population. In this magazine survey, it showed that statistics were actually -" Jiraiya was cut off abruptly just then. Judging by how Tsunade gave a slight jerk off her seat, Kakashi just knew that even Jiraiya's expensive leather shoes could not withstand the strength of the Tsunade's powerful heal-stump. "Anyway." Jiraiya cleared his throat, a bit of a wince in his expression. "A toast then. To successful written art and to women cheering on such successful written art."

Kakashi laughed, picked up his glass. "I'll drink to that."

"Yup. Same here." Genma grinned, raising his half empty glass. "You gotta love those books. I swear, there's not a woman I haven't done that doesn't even know the basics of Icha-Icha. For you, Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi's eyes darted automatically to Raidou who remained unhindered by the words exchanged across their round table and merely lifted his glass more out of respect to Jiraiya rather than anything else. For some strange reason that Kakashi himself will never understand, he raised his own glass and looked directly at Raidou. "And to us." He said.

He was glad for the almost-startled blink Raidou directed at him before Kakashi gave him a small smile and flickered his gaze to other at the table, implying that the toast was to them as well (and their terrible hectic jobs). He did _not_ miss the slight confused look on Genma's face nor did he miss the lingering look Genma directed towards Raidou (while being _very_ subtle).

Tsunade broke the ice and raised her glass then. "To us. For real. Heavens know how much luck and blessings we'll need to see this year through."

Kakashi gave a quiet snort at the statement (as did the others) and went about looking on to the next table in his field of vision. He was caught by surprised when he realized that he was staring the pretty, cute little brunette that was accompanying Iruka earlier. He narrowed his visible eye and took in the sight of the woman; she was petite and had full breasts that highlighted her curves and showed off her shapely legs from the slits of the gown on one side. She looked pretty average if not for her seemingly fit figure. Her eyes were wide and brown, with a pair of slender eyebrows and a heart shaped face with small cupid bow lips. Her blue gown and the crystal hair clips holding her light brown hair were mere accessories that showed off her natural beauty. She wasn't wearing brightly colored lipstick or dark shades of varying eye shadows like all the other women in the dining hall, but she was beautiful in that neighborly, friendly way.

He watched her smile then laugh as her fingers curled around another hand that was resting on a pair of black slacks and for a moment, Kakashi flinched at the sight of the silver band, encrusted with small diamonds resting perfectly in place on her slender right ring finger. The sight of the engagement ring made his chest suddenly feel heavy, like that one time during a dirty mission when he caught a bullet that punctured his lung. The feeling of drowning, heavy weight and nausea was taking over his mind again just by staring at the simple looking ring.

By instinct, his eyes traveled upwards, following the owner of the hand the woman was holding. He followed the black sleeve of the tux, took note of the handsome looking blue tie and wonderfully matching blue blazer and visibly frowned at the missing ponytail. He stared at the slender neck, following it up to get a good view of a tanned profile, eye sweeping over the scar that he grew to love so much and more over the past year before he settled for Iruka's dazzling smile. His mind clouded as he watched Iruka chatter and laugh with his fiancé, along with Izumo and Kotetsu (which he found surprising because he didn't think that those two were employed by the company as well), all of them munching on their starter's plate and sipping wine and cocktails.

The noise and chatter around him disappeared in to a distant hum in the background and for that precious few minutes, it was only him and Iruka who was meters away that existed. Iruka looked livelier and not the small, tired and almost raggedly dorm mate and mission target he remembered from a year ago. He looked like he put on just a bit of weight, his cheeks glowing with health and his shoulders more square (rather than narrow and slightly hunched). The short boyish haircut and unmanageable bangs that dropped over his forehead made him look more serious, more handsome and definitely mature. The missing long locks of chocolate brown made the blood in his veins boil with anger because one of the things he fell hard for was Iruka's long hair, and how they'd brush against his chest after they had sex, after a make out session or when he's just holding him in general. He remembered how they felt on his fingers, and how they'd slide off them like silk, leaving behind a smell of fruity-fusions that was Iruka's favorite shampoo. Seeing Iruka with his short hair and him looking healthier, stronger and surer of himself that very moment was all the hint Kakashi needed to know that he was gone, unreachable and that he had seriously moved on.

It was a slapping reminder to him that what transpired between himself and Iruka was nothing more than a mission and that it'd remain a mission, just like his current one. He felt his insides turn to ash, the taste of wine in his mouth turn to bitter acid and his covered eye throb with pain when the pretty woman slid her hand off Iruka's to reach for her glass. At that moment, the silver engagement ring on Iruka's right ring finger twinkled for the whole world to see.

He wasn't sure what happened, but there was a bit of a clatter and then there was a firm warm hold on his hand. Kakashi blinked twice and looked at the table, where his hand was being held tightly by Raidou because it was trembling too much (and Kakashi knew it was because the angry green monster was letting its poison flow freely in his veins again). His glass had toppled over on the table cloth, the remaining amount of wine spilling against the white linen and staining it a bright red. Confused, he looked up to find Raidou looking at him worriedly, Genma staring at him while Tsunade and Jiraiya looked partially alarmed.

His stomach churned then and Kakashi felt whatever color he had in his face drain away. "Sorry."

"You all right?" Raidou asked, casually tipping the fallen wine glass back in to place before tossing the napkin on his lap over the spilled stain.

Kakashi cleared his throat, keeping a straight and calm face with as much bravado as he could currently muster at that point. "Yeah, fine. The wine, it's pretty strong isn't it?"

Genma merely nodded. "Totally. I mean, it's pretty good that you don't even know if you've -" The glass Genma was holding tipped over just then, and it would have looked natural if Kakashi knew it wasn't intentional. "Uh, you know, I think I got what you got." Genma said and grinned when Jiraiya started laughing at the poor attempt to assure Kakashi that it was okay.

The table laughed at Genma's lame joke; as lame as it was, Kakashi greatly appreciated it and laughed along with them.

"Drop your missions, all of you." Tsunade announced, blinking back the tears of mirth from her eyes. "Just sit back and enjoy the food. The funding for this party was quite an amount, so stuff yourselves."

Kakashi felt slightly miffed because he knew perfectly well why Tsunade was asking them all to drop their lip-reading-surveillance-jig. It was his fault for being too hung up and he hated the pity hidden under the casual dinner and I-paid-a lot-for-this act. While he normally trusted Tsunade's judgment, he hated feeling so weak against what was apparently a previously failed mission. Tsunade asking everyone to drop their current task was a mere reminder of just how powerless he was against Iruka and just how hard he's fallen for him (and still is).

The main course was served and Kakashi asked for another glass of wine to down it all in one go before asking for another one. Everyone busied themselves with their fancy dinner while he poked at what he's assuming was a piece of mushroom on his white and gold porcelain plate, before his gaze started wandering about the room again. Automatically, he settled for watching Iruka eat while he listened and spoke to his friends and fiancé and sometimes laugh in between, covering his mouth with his napkin when he did so. He asked himself why he was tormenting his already shattering heart by watching Iruka look happy with his friends and fiancé when he knew clearly that he had no place in the other man's life; he couldn't answer his own question. He just kept watching and the more he did, the more his covered eye throbbed with pain, drilling the migraine to the back of his head till he had to fight his own facial muscles to stop himself from wincing. Iruka's fiancé reached up with her finger and wiped a smear of _something_ off the corner of Iruka's lips and that was all he could take.

Kakashi's fork dropped on the table with a careless clatter and he gave Tsunade and Jiraiya a shaky smile. "Uh, restroom. The wine and yesterday's pasta, not so good. Excuse me."

He didn't bother to wait for an answer as he pushed his chair back, dropped his napkin on the table and casually strode out of the dining hall towards the men's restroom. No one seemed to pay him any mind as he walked out because he didn't looked rushed or in some sort of trouble. Kakashi mentally patted himself in the back for managing to look poised and somewhat dignified until he reached the empty men's room outside in the lobby.

The splash of cold water against his pale and hot face was a slap back to reality and suddenly, he was very angry and very bitter about _everything_. His throat tightened with his suppressed emotions as he started to clench and unclench his hands several times, allowing the rush of the open tap to fill his head instead of the several screaming questions about Iruka's current life. He breathed through his nose, counting numbers in his head and still it was no use. He splashed more water against his face and started soaping his hands just to distract himself with something. He didn't give a damn if the hotel ran on a soap shortage, he kept using the soap till his hands disappeared in a rich white lather and they turned in to an unhealthy shade of pink because he was rubbing his hands together too hard.

He heard the door to the men's room open and heard the lock turn as well. He didn't have to look up from his soapy hands to know that it was Raidou who walked in. The man's warmth and presence filled the small room and Kakashi automatically felt at ease at the brotherly and friendly aura that was Raidou. The man didn't say anything and leaned against the marble sink, quietly crossed his arms across his chest and stared at a spot on the floor. Kakashi knew why he was there and what he was told to do but he wasn't going to acknowledge it because he was hell bent on finishing the bathroom's liquid soap (all six soap-pump). Pruney hands be damned, the soap smelled good and fruity and he was nearly done with half of one of the soap-pumps.

At his childish train of thought, Kakashi stopped lathering almost immediately (and even caused Raidou to look up from the spot on the floor). "Kakashi?" Raidou asked softly, taking a step closer. "You all right?"

Kakashi wanted to scream at his face that no, he wasn't fucking all right but instead, more out of habit, he kept calm on the outside and started rinsing his hands instead. His inner self was screaming and throwing a wild tantrum over why do soaps have to smell fruity and what is it with soap-companies and their affinity and obsession with fruit-based stuff. "I just realized that I hate the smell of fruits." It was a lie that was turning in to the truth because if anything, Kakashi _loves_ fruits (and Raidou knew that, being the one responsible to filling the fruit basket in Kakashi's apartment because Kakashi forgot to feed himself most of the time).

"I see." Raidou answered in his quiet manner and casually plucked one of the folded disposable towels from the rack in the corner. "I suppose you'd want to get rid of the fruit basket at home?"

"Yes." Kakashi nodded, finally turning the tap off the cringing at just how _fruity_ his hands smelled like. He took the offered towel and dried his hands with it. "Do you think fruits smell good?"

Kakashi stared right in to Raidou's dark eyes, noting how careful Raidou was being in answering the silly question. "Yes," Raidou finally said, and nodded. "I do think it smells good. Don't you?"

"Sometimes." Kakashi said, remembering Iruka's favorite shampoo and his previously long dark hair. "But now, I don't really think so."

Raidou nodded in understanding. "I know."

Kakashi's shoulders tightened a little as his bitterness got the better of him. Raidou was a presence he greatly respected at the same time a presence he could be a bit 'loose' around. It wasn't a whirlwind of 'I shouldn't have' or 'I can't' when it was around Raidou, because Kakashi knew that Raidou somehow managed to settle himself somewhere in his being and will always be a part of him. He was his first instructor, first commander and first friend and probably a million other firsts. Being in the business since he was a child, it was a miracle that Kakashi even had someone like Raidou. Which was why when he sent his fist flying against the wooden dividers of the toilet cubicles, Raidou said nothing and didn't even bat an eyelash. Kakashi punched it once, twice, thrice, until the wooden splinters dug in to his fist and an admirable hole sat in the middle of the smooth lacquered wood.

Somehow, seeing the small hole calmed him a _bit_, but the anger was still there and so was the unending selfishness about how life was always unfair. Everything happening to him was probably just karma for all those people he killed swiftly because it was his job and all the people he deceived because he was ordered to. His heart thumping wildly in his chest, Kakashi dropped his bleeding fist to his side, dropping his head a bit as he sucked in deep breaths to calm himself a bit. Of course, it did nothing to calm him down or make the anger and envy go away; if anything, his forced-calm-demeanor just made it worse.

"I'm going back. Sorry." He mumbled quietly, swallowing the thick lump in his throat.

"I'm taking you home." Raidou said, a calm and warm hand circling his own bleeding fist and wrapping it with a disposable towel. "Come on. I think Tenzou left the groceries on the kitchen counter."

Like a young boy having his older brother take him home after he scraped his knee during playtime, Kakashi merely nodded and followed Raidou out of the hotel and remained quiet and in pain, despite the calm bravado he maintained on the outside.

XXX

Upon reaching the miraculously organized and neat apartment (Kakashi knew that Tenzou and Genma must have conned the men in to turning the jungle state it was in the morning in to the hospital-cleanliness that is in front of him), Raidou disappeared in to the bathroom and Kakashi threw himself on the couch, kicking his shoes off in the process; the pair of expensive leather clattering on the marble floor in a heap. His slightly bleeding hand remained wrapped in the hotel's disposable towel. It wasn't as if it was bleeding profusely, but more like some of the wooden splinters scratched a bit too deep. If anything the bleeding stopped somewhere during their wait in the traffic jam in which Kakashi remained completely oblivious too and actually did bother eating the free brownie from the diner in the middle of nowhere earlier.

"Sit up and give me your hand." Raidou said, breaking the silence of the apartment with his voice and moving to kneel in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi remained perfectly still, Raidou's closeness no longer bothering him because he was _so_ used to it. His hand remained on his knee as Raidou quickly and efficiently plucked out all the splinters with a pair of tweezers, occasionally squeezing or pushing the metallic thing too hard in order to get the smallest wooden needles out of his sore hand. It didn't take as long as it should and by the time Raidou was done applying some salve on his scratched up hand, Kakashi's stomach chose that moment to grumble in a rather undignified manner.

"Look, I'm gonna pop myself in to bed and sleep on this. You look tired yourself, crash over if you want. I think this is a sofa bed. Hell you know what's in this apartment more than I do anyway. I'm going to get my dogs tomorrow. I need some sleep." Kakashi mumbled, pushing himself off the couch. The hand on the back of his knee stopped him and he looked down at Raidou. "What?"

"Drop the mission."

Kakashi could see the concerned look behind Raidou's dark eyes and shook his head. "No, I need this."

"Are you some sort of masochist?" Raidou asked, standing his full height.

Kakashi wondered about that himself and shrugged nonchalantly. He was going to have to act indifferently about the subject because even if it was Raidou who saw his rounds and bouts of control loss, he personally didn't like to make a habit out of it (although Raidou was already part of the habit more than anything). "I'm going to get used to him and one day move on."

"He hasn't moved on, Kakashi." Raidou said, sighing tiredly.

"No he has." Kakashi started walking away from the living room towards his bedroom to change. "He's getting married soon and his fiancé is beautiful. If that doesn't scream 'I've moved on' then I don't know what does. Maybe the engagement ring helps. They look expensive."

He didn't wait for Raidou to show himself out of the apartment or to get himself comfortable on what he assumed was a sofa bed. He dragged his feet to the bathroom and filled the bathtub with hot water and dunked himself in to the tub, Icha-Icha book in one hand while the scratched one hanging out and resting against the closed lid of the toilet seat. He was so engrossed with the writings on the book, reading them but not really absorbing the words that he lost track of time. The next thing he knew, there was a hand on his shoulder and said hand was shaking him awake.

"Get out of the tub." Raidou said, dressed in his undershirt and his tuxedo slacks with a pair of house slippers. "Water is cold." Kakashi blinked at the sight of the small patch of wrinkled skin on Raidou's bare shoulder. He watched as the shoulder muscles shifted when Raidou fished something out from the water. "And you just ruined your book by the way." He said, an amused smile on his face as he dangled the sopping wet Icha-Icha book in front of Kakashi's face.

"Shit." Kakashi grumbled, and slapped a pruney hand to his face.

"Get dressed. Come to the kitchen if you're not sleepy. There's food."

Raidou left him to wash up, taking his wet book along with him. Kakashi shivered as he pushed himself off the tub, plucking the tub-stopper with his toes before rinsing himself with the shower head. He came out of the bathroom shivering like a wet kitten, toes curled up as he left water prints on the floor of his bedroom, trekking around naked and dripping water everywhere. He crouched by his unpacked duffel bag and sifted through the messy content from where he hesitantly stuffed all his clothing in, looking for a pair of boxers to cover his skin.

He managed to pull one out of the bag with strength enough to rip even the bag itself and sent the elastic-like piece of fabric sailing across the room, landing on the headboard of his bed. Grounding his teeth together, Kakashi stood up and stalked for the piece of underwear when his toe caught against the foot of the bed, effectively stubbing it black and blue and causing his tongue to let slip a very loud and colorful curse word. What followed that was a string of expletives towards everything that required a foot (such as the bed) and him hopping around like a crazed buffoon, stark naked and freezing in the air-condioned room.

"Stupid, fucking, son of a - damn this all to hell!" Kakashi growled and aimed a kick at one of the boxes lying innocently against one of the walls. He cursed even louder when his stubbed toe came in to contact with the pointed edge of the box and started limping and semi-jumping around once again, hissing at the pain shooting up his leg.

His bedroom door flew open and Raidou stood their, an apron around his waist and his undershirt sporting a large stain, worried and eyes wide. "What the hell is - oh god! _Kakashi!_"

"_What?_" Kakashi yelled, flopping down on his bed that now thankfully had a bedspread on (he had a feeling Raidou was responsible for it) and lifting his foot over his knee, examining his red toes while he tugged them apart from each other. "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before! Stop being such a pussy."

Raidou stomped in and threw a pair of sweatpants that Kakashi had no idea where he pulled it out from (more like, which box). "Put some clothes on! I may have seen you naked a thousand times, but that doesn't mean I get any pleasure seeing you jump around with your dick bouncing up and down like some fucking sports-ball!"

Kakashi stopped trying to look between his toes, pulled his legs slightly apart to glance at his dick then looked up at Raidou. "They _are_ balls, Raidou!"

"Get dressed before you catch a cold!" He turned to the air conditioner and switched it off. "And how many times did I tell you stop prancing around under the air-conditioning when you're wet and naked? You do know that I end up being your nanny when you're sniveling under the blankets like some wet chick. Get dressed, _now_!"

"Getting dressed. Getting dressed." Kakashi grumbled, finally getting to his feet and plucking the underwear off the headboard. He looked down at himself then questioningly at Raidou. "Hey Raidou, can I ask you something?"

Raidou stopped midway from opening the bedroom door. "What?"

"Is my dick big?"

The door slamming was the only answer Kakashi received. He couldn't stop himself from shaking his head in amusement as he pulled his underwear on before taking the sweatpants Raidou threw at him earlier. He came out a few minutes later to find Raidou standing in front of the middle-kitchen-counter (it was a very nice kitchen. The preparing and eating marble counter was in the middle of the impressively large kitchen), tossing salt over a large tray of fries. Kakashi peered over Raidou's shoulder from where he was standing by the doorway and found that the fryer (that was installed in to the marble counter just like the baking oven, the gas range and the coffee maker) was still sizzling with what he assumed to be more potatoes.

Raidou looked up at him, not stopping in his tossing-salt movements, and gestured with his chin towards the kitchen stool. "Eat." He ordered, as Kakashi slid down and two bowls were pushed towards him - one filled with yellow goop and the other with white-going-on-orange goop.

"I think you peeled too many potatoes." Kakashi said, plucking some fries off the tray and dipping it in to the yellow goop, all the while watching Raidou from his mop of wet hair as the older man scooped out the fries from the fryer in to a new plate.

Although Raidou acted like there was nothing wrong, Kakashi knew that once Raidou busied himself in the kitchen and started making _too_ much food, something was definitely wrong. Through out the years, Kakashi found out that while Raidou was a blessing in the kitchen (especially to those who couldn't cook), he also found out that the reasons for him working in the kitchen could vary from a few or a single hurtful sentence spoken on impulse or when someone was hurt, in critical condition or off to the funeral parlor. He couldn't forget the time Hayate died. Raidou prepared a large meal that would put even the Hyuuga's banquet to shame. He also spent the day peeling onions, getting all teary eyed and hunched over the chopping board.

Everyone knew better than to ask if it was the onions, or Hayate's death that was making him teary eyed. Kakashi knew, though, that it was Genma's grief that shook Raidou to his very core. The kitchen was basically Raidou's personal heaven to sulk like a child, curse like a sailor or mourn for the dead.

Kakashi knew it was better to say nothing and so he didn't. He ate the fries instead, and polished off the bowl of honey mustard Raidou was so good at preparing and even asked for seconds. Raidou prepared it without question, pushing him the new bowl of yellow goop before sitting down himself and eating.

The quiet atmosphere of the kitchen was broken when Raidou's cell phone started ringing from the living room. Kakashi didn't look up from the tray of fries in front of him as Raidou left the kitchen to answer the call. He could hear Raidou's smooth and calming voice drifting in to the kitchen and with the tone and flat answers, Kakashi knew that he can expect to be well fed for the next several days and have good cooked food stocked in his fridge.

_"Yes. No. No! It's not like that! Where is this coming from? No! Hey, I don't give a flying fuck what you do in your spare time, how you dare accuse me of such - shut the fuck up! Fine! No, I don't have time for this. You're right. Fine. Okay. Okay."_

He idly wondered if he could ask for a sandwich. Raidou made brilliant sandwiches just like how he knitted magnificent top quality table-cloth. As much as he didn't want to hear one side of the conversation (in which Raidou was starting to get really, really angry), he couldn't help but hear as Raidou's voice nearly crack in the living room.

_"Where is this coming from? How can you think that? Of course not! It's different! So I care a bit more about people that you would, but what the bloody fuck do you think - excuse me?"_

Kakashi frowned and got up, wanting to distract himself because Raidou was starting to say uncomfortable things. He pulled the fridge door open and found molded dim sums sitting inside neatly stacked tupperwares. He picked one at random and started searching the kitchen for the steamer that he knew was somewhere.

_"My fault? My fault? This is your fault! You and your pathetic excuse of what you call fun! I - No, I didn't tell him yet! Yes, yes, I know! I will! For crying out loud, where is this all coming from? What are you trying to prove this time?"_

He failed to locate the steamer and decided against cooking the dim sum. He carelessly tossed the tupperware back in to the fridge and started taking out whatever sandwich ingredient he could make. He spotted a jar of pickles and wondered if it'd make a good combination with mayonnaise and tuna. He suddenly had a strong urge to have some tuna. He was idly toying with what to put in his sandwich when he remembered that Iruka liked his tuna sandwich with an odd combination of ground sweet onions, pickle relish, cheddar cheese and honey mustard. Looking at the ingredients on the floor beside the fridge from where he was crouching, he realized, with a pang in his chest, that he took out exactly what Iruka would want to have if he were to eat tuna sandwich at that very instant.

The can of tuna in his hand trembled and was dropped carelessly to the floor. He shoved everything he took out back in to the fridge and opting to have something else instead. He was starving and a tray of fries was not going to do him justice. Whatever desire he had for tuna left the roof and he felt eyes on his back as he hurriedly stuffed the things back in to the fridge.

"Is there _something_ you want to eat right now? Anything! You can ask for a goddamn fucking wedding cake and I'll gladly bake it for you right now." Raidou asked, looking like a wild bull ready to go on a rampage.

Kakashi knew that there was only one person who could make Raidou lose so much control that his glare would freeze hell ten times over and actually make babies cry. He could demand something extravagant and he'd know that he was doing Raidou a huge favor; he was shameless with his reply.

"Home made ramen?"

TBC

Uhhh Credits and notes:

- Nothing really to credit here except maybe for the kitchen's interior. A friend of mine (and you know yourself, Beeki) has an awesome kitchen with a preparing counter on the middle of. And because I like it so much, I used her kitchen as Kakashi's kitchen.

- I apologize for the LONG delay of updating. I hit a block so big that I couldn't write for several days.

As usual, I'd love to know what you think. The number of support I get for this is blinding and heartwarming. I love you so much. Never thought that it'd be a hit like this.

Special dedication to Vescas and Senna as an apology (and because I got scolded TT).


	3. Chapter 3

Warning: OOC, weirdness, EMO-ness, sexual references and foul language. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

**OFFICEMATE**

Before he realized, Raidou had left the apartment with his car keys to buy the necessary ingredients for the dough. Kakashi wanted to take back what he said, because ramen was what Iruka liked to eat and on countless occasions, during the days when they were so busy with their 'studies', more often than not, ramen was their dinner. But Raidou had already left the apartment and he never got the chance to see whether the man actually bothered dressing decently or if he left with his house slippers on.

Kakashi spent the next half an hour lounging on the couch, staring at his wet Icha-Icha lying in the middle of the living room's center table, laid out open to dry. The book had been one of his favorite and it was also the book that had little footnotes on his Iruka-fantasies. From his slouched position on the couch, he knew that the page it was on was something he and Iruka did once during the nights when they had more time to spare.

Without thinking he kicked at the offending book, watching it sail across the room and land in the far corner with a satisfying slushy thump. The more he thought about it, the more he hated the piece of shit that he called porn. It was probably fate that it fell in to the tub while he was blankly reading it. By then, when and if the book survived drying somehow, the pen notes in the corners would have faded and whatever sexual fantasy he had of Iruka would disappear as well.

Cursing loudly, he made his way to his bedroom and decided to busy himself unpacking. It was only eleven in the evening and he could use whatever distraction the empty and boring apartment could provide him. By tomorrow, he was going to have his dogs to cure him of all his boredom and after that, he was going to make sure that he had a good stock of varying colors of woolen yarn. His wedding present for Kurenai was long overdue anyway and he was sure she wouldn't mind a nice table cloth or maybe some throw pillow covers. He also remembered that one of the resigned ANBU members working under Ibiki was expecting a baby soon, so he could probably knit a baby blanket for the bawling thing (he heard from the HQ that it had a strong set of pipes like her mother). There was also Asuma's baby to consider.

While he busied his head with thoughts of what to knit and for whom, he mechanically started taking out his clothes, folding them carelessly and piling them in a very uneven pile. He didn't bother separating the house pants from the shorts to the old t-shirts that had holes that size of his thighs. He pulled open the empty closet, dropped all of his folded socks and boxers and kicked the drawer close. He started placing the clothes in the racks inside his closet when he heard the front door slam and a rustle of plastic bags.

Raidou was back and with the sounds coming out of the kitchen (cans falling, a glass breaking and lovely curses enough to make even an old woman blush), Kakashi knew that Raidou was far from calm. He didn't bother to go out and greet the guy and instead, he proceeded to shove his clothes in to the closet. He managed to locate one of the boxes from where Raidou pulled out his house sweat pants earlier and proceeded to chuck the contents recklessly in to his closet. His dress shirts were hanged, along with his denim pants.

He kicked the empty boxes in to the hallway as he unpacked, putting a picture of his old and very first team before he made ANBU on the nightstand and found himself staring at it with something akin to sadness. He sat himself on the bed, a leg crossed under him as he stared at the picture, particularly at the teenaged boy grinning like an idiot with a pair of motorcycle goggles over his forehead.

"I'll be damned Obito. You weren't always right. Excuses and lies got me nowhere before. The truth didn't either." He mumbled, eyeing the sullotaped envelope he remembered tossing somewhere while unpacking." See that envelope? The fat one? I got a restraining order. Pretty shitty huh?"

Kakashi chewed on his lower lip and got up, picking the envelope and chucking the contents on the bed. There was an MD disk amidst the pile and he stared at it with such longing in his heart that he knew, if Obito was there, he'd probably breakdown and sob like the crybaby he was at the sight Kakashi was making.

He found his mini-player in one of the heavier boxes by the door. He took it out, uncoiling the earphones and slipping the MD in to the player. It was a recording of the court procedures and somewhere in it, there was a voice recording of when Iruka approached the police station while they were still in school; Ibiki managed to get it for him and merely mailed him the disk instead. He searched for the track with Iruka's steady speaking voice and sat on the floor, staring at the window.

Iruka's voice was shaky as he spoke and reported the assault and kidnapping. Even if he was speaking ill of him, Kakashi couldn't help but wish that he was there for him to hold. The words flew over his head, but the voice was like ghostly hands somehow trying to caress his aching heart.

XXX

"Genma called me." Raidou said, as Kakashi walked in to the kitchen, shoulders slumped more than normal and chest aching from listening to Iruka's voice over and over again. "He says that tomorrow, Iruka is scheduled to move in to the assigned apartment. He also says that you are scheduled to meet with Naruto the day after" Raidou punched the dough on the counter to divide in two before kneading the other half. "Iruka is going to be there."

"Huh. Okay." Kakashi pulled the stool out and sat down, dreading 'tomorrow' already. Tomorrow meant that his surveillance of Iruka would start and that meant watching the man's every move via the surveillance equipment in the second room of the apartment.

He realized, with something akin to terror, that suddenly, he wasn't looking forward to the mission at all.

"He also says that Tsunade _and_ Jiraiya say that you shouldn't disappoint the boy and that Iruka doesn't know that you're going to be Naruto's teacher. He wasn't informed. She specifically says that she'll break your nose and smash your face in if Naruto goes home unhappy."

Kakashi watched as Raidou started swinging the dough over his head before kneading it again on the counter. He was shirtless and his tuxedo pants were replaced with old sweatpants. The foreign bag he saw in the living room on his way to the kitchen probably belonged to Raidou and had some of his clothes to change. They all left clothes at each other's assigned living quarters during missions, so it was a norm rather than an invasion of privacy.

"Anything else?" Kakashi asked, not reacting to anything Raidou just said.

"Yes." Raidou punched the dough and started banging his fists on them brutally. "Genma says that you should drop the mission. Jiraiya says the same. Ibiki says the same and Tsunade called you an idiot."

Kakashi felt his red-eye twitch as his temper slowly started to escalate. "And you?"

"I say you need to fucking get drunk and run over by a freaking bullet train ten times. That's what I think." Raidou banged his left fist on dough before inhaling deeply and started making noodles off the large beige mound. "But please, ignore what I say. It seems that nothing I say is of any importance these days."

"Hey." Kakashi frowned, intently staring at Raidou. He was speaking quietly, in that ever so calming voice of his. He only ever did yell when he's around Genma or when they get in to some heated debate. What disturbed Kakashi was that Raidou was speaking a little _too_ quietly and a little _too_ calmly for him to be normal. "What's wrong?"

"The dough is wrong. That's what." Raidou grumbled as he set the prepared noodles aside.

Kakashi waited till Raidou finished filling up the pot with water and setting it on the fire to boil. Only when Raidou started cleaning the mess the dough left behind in the preparing counter did Kakashi dared phrase his next question. "Did Genma say something to you again?"

"Genma is always saying something to me." Raidou shrugged. "He's always talking."

Kakashi flinched when Raidou brought down the knife too hard against the chopping board, neatly cutting the large chunk of ginger in half. From the brute force, the other half nearly flew off the counter which Raidou easily caught with his empty hand. Kakashi knew that Raidou was a whiz in the kitchen, his family coming from a long line of top class chefs, so he wasn't really bothered when Raidou's hands started working on the ginger, even when the knife hitting the board sounded a little too sinister than it should have been. Kakashi shuddered at what Raidou was seeing on the chopping board and he knew very well that it probably wasn't the ginger piece (that was too mashed up to be recognized).

"Do you need that much ginger?" Kakashi asked, feeling a little bit of pity to the poor, unsuspecting vegetable.

"Yes. There's this new recipe I've been wanting to try out." Raidou said, pushing aside the ginger. Kakashi watched as he took out some bean sprouts from a bag along with a chunk of pork and started chopping it up as well. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I'm going to go get my dogs." Kakashi said flatly.

"Huh. And Iruka?" Raidou mumbled, voice barely audible over the loud clacking noises of the knife against the board.

"What about Iruka?" Kakashi asked, watching as the bean sprouts were placed in a bowl and the chopping board rinsed. He frowned a bit as Raidou unceremoniously dropped the small chunk of pork meat on the board and started attacking it with the vicious aura to that of a homicidal killer.

"What are you going to do about him? Are you going to cry? Are you going to bitch? Are you going to point a fucking gun," Kakashi moved back a bit as Raidou hit the slab of meat with his knife once, face flushing red as he repeated the process many more times. The cutting "blows" got harder and harder and Kakashi feared that the chopping board might not out-win the power that was Raidou's arm and hand. "To your fucking temple? Are you going to point a fucking gun to _his_ fucking temple? That kind of thing." Raidou paused and looked at the knife he was holding. "And this knife is pretty good. I'll have to ask that sonofabitch where he ordered the knife set from." With that, Raidou continued abusing the pork chunk in front of him.

By now, Kakashi was very sure that Raidou was completely off about _something_ and it was scaring the living day lights out of him. Kakashi was very skilled in combat and weaponry but Raidou wasn't a joke either. If anything, the knife was starting to make Kakashi just a little bit too uneasy just by being in Raidou's hand. "Are you okay?" He asked, still eyeing the chunk of pork on the chopping board.

Raidou shrugged. "Yes."

Kakashi winced yet again as another echoing blow landed on the poor slab of meat and he could have sworn he heard the wood crack. "Uh, Raidou, I would actually like to eat some of the meat. It's too small now."

Raidou paused mid-chop and then decided that Kakashi's words were useless and continued pounding on the thing before him. Kakashi couldn't help but take another step back. "You're dodging my question."

"And you're killing my dinner. Honestly, Raidou, to think that -"

Kakashi stiffened, eyes narrowing when he suddenly had the smelly, stained blade of the knife pointed directly at his face. "Answer. The. Fucking. Question, you dickwad."

One of the nicest things about Kakashi was that he wasn't stupid when he had a weapon pointed at his face, especially if that someone was Raidou. Raidou was a highly trained assassin, a skilled man with weapons alone and probably the only person Kakashi could think off who can turn a mere pencil-eraser in to something highly deadly. He narrowed his gaze towards Raidou, all humor gone and his entire attempt in staying calm and dodgy about the subject disappeared in to thin air. It was one thing when Raidou was cursing in general (he always does when he was mad or when Genma generally managed to peeve him off) but it was another thing when Raidou had a weapon, was cursing and was _calling people names_; as far as Kakashi's memory went, Raidou _rarely_ called people names. To have him addressed as a dickwad was something Kakashi didn't wholly appreciate either.

"I am not going to do anything." The knife didn't budge. "I will, probably, brood about it, _bitch_ about _in my head_, and maybe cry too. I don't know, okay? It's not everyday I like someone the way I like him. All right?" Kakashi was starting to feel his temper boil and bubble over in his system when the knife didn't come out. "If you're just going stand there pointing that fucking thing to my face, then why don't you put it to good use and just stab me instead? Maybe that way, it'd hurt less."

After a few seconds, Raidou turned around and started lighting the gas range. "Coward."

Kakashi just started seeing red. "_Hey!_"

"And that restraining order, I mean it from the bottom of my wretched heart when I say you fucking deserve it." Raidou tossed some oil in to the pan and started stir-frying one of the ingredients he chopped earlier.

Kakashi picked up the first thing his hand saw (which turned out to be a can-opener) and with as much force as he could, he threw it against Raidou's head. It connected squarely at the back of the man's skull and then Kakashi screamed as loud as his lungs could. "_Sonofabitch!"_

"_It's true!_" Raidou yelled back, turning the stove off and rubbing the swelling lump at the back of his head. "You are the biggest coward on the face of the planet!"

"_And what the hell would you be?"_ Kakashi yelled, knowing that he looked like a complete terror once he started screaming, because he never screamed. He was always quiet, spoke coldly and sharply, but he never screamed or yelled till his lungs burned. It was a rare thing and somewhere at the back of his mind, beyond all the boiling temper, he never would have thought that Raidou would trigger such a reaction from him.

"I'm a coward, yes! I admit that much! But when I care enough for a person, I _let them go!_" Raidou yelled back, slamming his fist on the counter. "I take every single piece of shit that fucking person dishes out with as much dignity I can muster but _I let them go!_ Because when I start to see that it's hopeless, _I move on_!"

"_No you don't!"_

"I don't _bitch about it!_ _I don't hurt people, Kakashi! I don't break them either!" _Raidou grouched on and somewhere in Kakashi's chest, his ribs started to contract from the sudden heavy feeling settling in his chest. "Because, Kakashi you don't do that to people! You don't! _You don't!_ Do you _understand_?"

"What did Genma say?" Kakashi spoke, voice suddenly as cold as ice.

"It's got nothing to do with Genma." Raidou answered just as coldly, if not colder.

"It has everything to do with Genma. He's the only one who can turn you in to a complete train wreck." Kakashi glared, harder, hand tempted to just grab the knife and shed some blood.

Raidou smiled, sadistic. "You know that restraining order Iruka filed on you?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes further, hands shaking. "What about it?"

"I told him to file it. I suggested it. Iruka would have never done such a thing. But I told him to and you goddamn deserve it!"

Kakashi wasn't sure why his mind suddenly shut off then and there or when his fist made contact with Raidou's face. He wasn't very sure either how he ended up slumping against the tiled kitchen wall, nose bleeding and broken, lip suffering from a cut and cheek swollen. As he fell on his side, the adrenaline rush fading and the clattering of kitchen utensils hitting the floor behind him, he suddenly wondered if everything he did in his life was worth it, if any of the teachings and beliefs he learned from his mentor and dead friends meant anything to him anymore.

Because deep down, within the remnants of his cold heart, he knew that everything Raidou said was right. He did deserve it.

XXX

The next morning, when he was collecting the dogs from the private pound, the teenager part-timing behind the counter was staring at his face with an expression that was close to that of a goldfish. Kakashi found it quite rude, even though he knew why the man was staring at him so openly, with a hint of concern and a higher touch of open curiosity. His face was sporting a large bruise that went from his temple to his chin; his nose was also bandaged and there was a healing open cut on the corner of his lip. Kakashi eyed the name tag pinned on the yellow shirt and quirked his visible brow at the gawking desk-attendee.

"My dogs, if you please, Hihara-kun. Kakashi Hatake, it should be in your database." Kakashi smiled, more out of politeness and ended up cringing mentally because his face hurt.

Hihara stuttered, dropped the stapler he was holding and quickly scrambled for the computer two feet away from him. Kakashi rolled his eyes as the sound of heavy keyboard typing filled the quiet reception of the dog pound. When Hihara started dialing up one of the care takers through their intercom, Kakashi sighed and looked out the glass window, staring at the people walking in the street.

His face, to put bluntly, hurt like hell. He didn't blame Raidou for fighting back; no one really enjoyed getting hit by a can-opener on the back of their heads, but he didn't think that Raidou would slam his face against the kitchen tile either. Of course, that morning, Raidou was nursing a limping ankle much to Kakashi's pleasure. If he was going to walk around looking like a victim of some wife-beating session, then Raidou was going to prance around looking like he got gang-raped. No amount of foundation was going to cover the ugly bruise; he already tried that morning. The effort was moot.

The back door swung open and almost immediately, eight dogs came running towards him, the poor skinny young man Hihara called earlier losing his grip on the leash. Kakashi hushed the excited dogs and they behaved immediately, tails wagging back and forth. Hihara and the other skinny brat was gawking once more, particularly a Bull who was making a big sticky drool mess on the floor from all the happiness and excitement he was displaying.

"Dear gods." Hihara squawked.

"Pardon the floor. Please charge the fee here." Kakashi handed them his platinum credit card, leaving the duo to fuss with the credit card machine as he knelt down and started rubbing behind the ears of his dogs, all of them whining and nudging his face. He lifted a finger up close to his injured face, giving them a look of disapproval. "Watch the face. It hurts." Pakkun pawed at his calf while Ishi all but wrapped himself around Kakashi's neck, whining at the area Kakashi specifically warned them no to get too close to.

"Ah, Hatake-san, your bill. Please sign these." Hihara said from the counter, setting the credit card receipt along with other documents.

A few minutes later, Kakashi left behind the mopping desk attendee, ushering his dogs in to his new sports car. It was a challenge to get them to all behave in the backseat, especially Bull who wasn't very happy about getting squished in such a small space. It was just his luck to encounter heavy traffic on the way back to the apartment and by then, his dogs were going insane in the backseat. Ishi started pawing at the glass, Pakkun started howling, Megane started biting at his paw and the rest were barking very _loudly_.

Kakashi was losing his head and officially blamed the mission, the car and stupid female drivers who couldn't distinguish between a pedestrian sign and a fire hydrant. When he passed the source of the traffic jam, he was already stewing in his own anger, hissing profanities that somewhat scared his dogs to sudden silence.

He drove like a madman high on cocaine. It didn't take more than ten minutes to reach his street. He hit the brakes so hard that the tires left skid marks on the road. Pakkun rolled over to the front, whimpering as the gears connected with his small furry belly. The poor dog started whimpering so loud that Kakashi cursed again both for his recklessness and at the car. He threw his seatbelt back with enough brute force that the metallic buckle hit the glass, successfully making a small crack.

"This day just _can't_ get any _worse!_" Kakashi yelled at himself, picking Pakkun up and cradling the whimpering dog to his chest. He pulled the seat back and all but yelled at the others. "Get out, all of you!" He was grounding his teeth so hard, mind raging in his temper that he nearly lost it when Ishi got out of the car and made a wild dash across the street. "Ishi! _Ishi! Damnit, I am not in the mood for this! Get back here!"_

The dogs around him started barking and chasing after Ishi all of them running past the moving truck that was parked and around it; even Pakkun leapt out of his arms. Kakashi kicked his door shut, successfully leaving a nice boot print on the fine paint job, hitting the auto-lock button on the key and dashing across the street after his dogs, pressing the speed dial on his cell phone, keen on giving Raidou a verbal-fuck-fest to get his ass down with the thickest leash he could find.

He skidded straight to stop after rounding the corner of the moving-track, spotting his dogs crowded around a kneeling person who was laughing and rubbing their necks and ears, not the least bit minding how his face was officially made in to a doggy-drool-toy. Kakashi could feel the wind and life get sucked out of him, like the ground just opened and he was being pulled in to a vacuum.

Soulful brown eyes looked up at him and suddenly, Kakashi could see a flash of anger and perhaps just something close to horror and guilt fill those brown depths and he knew that his face must have displayed the agony that was swallowing him up (not to mention his face looked like he was just bludgered by a baseball bat). The phone slipped from his hands, Raidou's irritated voice calling out from the other line. The clatter on the asphalt was like a sharp crack of whip against his mind. He blinked, picked up his phone and shoved it in his back pocket.

"Go on, boys. Go back to your master." Iruka said softly, stepping back from the dogs that only moved to stand closer to him.

"You guys, get back across the street. _Now_." Kakashi allowed his temper to reign over him. He started functioning on habit then, turning in to the cold and fearsome ANBU he was known for in their field of work. The dogs scampered towards Iruka, some whining as they hesitated in approaching their master.

"You're only scaring them."

He pointedly managed to ignore the slightly shaky voice that came out of Iruka's throat. "Across the street, the lot of you. _Move_." Kakashi glared harder and without another word, the dogs ran across the street and cowered by the car they just came out of save for Pakkun. The pug remained by Iruka's feet, pawing at his denim clad ankles, wanting to be picked up.

Kakashi was finding it harder to breathe the more he watched Pakkun refuse to listen to him. Pakkun always liked Iruka during the brief times they spent together and it was only natural that the pug wanted to be picked up and molly-coddled by the good natured man. It was getting harder and harder to maintain his cold facade because he was feeling too suffocated.

Iruka bent down and picked the pug up, petted him a few times to please the dog before setting him down again, nudging him from his behind towards Kakashi. "Go on. Go on." Pakkun refused to listen and remained beside Iruka's feet.

Kakashi didn't dare get any closer simply because he didn't want trouble. He also didn't need Iruka to remind him that he can't get any closer. He didn't even know how Iruka would react if he took another step closer, so remained where he was, a good four feet away from Iruka, staring at his face. "I'm so sorry for the trouble, _Umino-san_, but as you can see, my dog seems to think that you're a fitting owner for him. If you just give me a minute, I will send someone to fetch him from beside your feet and rid you of this nuisance."

"Never mind, Kakashi. This isn't -"

Kakashi couldn't stop the sarcastic and awful smirk from coming to his face then; his mind immediately recalled the memory of how Iruka blatantly denied knowing him at all during the party. "I thought you forgot that I _existed_."

The brown eyes that haunted his dreams and memory narrowed, the face turning bitter. Lips that he knew were soft and sweet parted to say something but Kakashi turned his back to him and crossed the street, pulling his cell phone (which he just realized was sporting a nice large crack across the screen) out and speed-dialing Raidou's number.

_"What the hell -"_

"Find a leash. Come down and get my fucking dog from across the street. He's by Iruka's feet." Kakashi slammed his flip-phone shut and started hauling the dogs in to the apartment lobby. The dogs were suddenly surprisingly obedient and didn't give him any more trouble as he waited for the elevator.

The elevator rang and Genma swept past him, leash in hand, not bothering to say anything. Kakashi ushered the dogs in and all but punched the button to his floor. Upon reaching his front door that was slightly ajar, he shooed the dogs in, kicked the door hard enough that it rattled from its hinges and tossed his phone across the counter in the kitchen where Raidou was reviewing documents.

"Hey!" Raidou said, lifting his mug up in time as the phone skidded across the marble top and landed on the floor, breaking in to two pieces.

"Find me a new phone. And you!" He glared at the dogs, who backed away in fear. "One bark, one squeak and make a mess and I'll send you back to the pound!"

Without another word, he headed for his room, slammed the door and slid down against it. He bit the urge to scream and to throw things around to vent his anger. Instead, he thought of how Iruka said his name, how his eyes looked up at him with such familiarity it was almost like coming home to something warm and precious. He covered his face with his hands and let out a deep shuddering breath, biting his lower lip to keep himself quiet.

Genma and Raidou didn't need to know just how affected he was. He can handle things fine on his own.

XXX

When evening came around, Kakashi made himself comfortable in his living room couch, Iruka's folder beside him. His dogs were scattered around the living room, each of them napping in their new-found favorite spot. Pakkun was sulking somewhere in the hallway and Kakashi couldn't bring himself to give a damn. Raidou left earlier to handle a situation he was summoned for, leaving Genma alone with him in the apartment. Said person was lounging in the chair beside him, feet propped against the coffee table and sipping on a can of beer.

"He was pretty nice to me. Surprisingly." Genma said offhandedly.

"Was he?" Kakashi mumbled, completely not interested as he read through his file, noting Iruka's measurements have increased just a _little_ bit. He was right; the man had put on some weight.

"Yeah. Apologized too. Though I know it wasn't not for me. It was for you."

"Did he apologize about the restraining order?" Kakashi blankly asked, flipping the page and reading through Iruka's credentials along with his letters of recommendation.

"Did _you_ apologize to him?" Genma asked, quieter.

"How can I? I have a restraining order." Kakashi yawned, flipping on to the next page, reading his health records. He was unconsciously memorizing everything that was written within the folder. "I've never seen a fuck off so strong and so _official_ before."

Genma was quiet for a moment and it was only the sounds of paper rustling that filled the room. "You're not going to try?"

"No, Genma, I'm not going to bother. I'm just doing my job." Kakashi shrugged, staring at the photos clipped to the folder. He pulled out the surveillance pictures and flipped through them, stopping at a close-up of Iruka in a train station.

"You've got a pitiful expression on your face. It makes me want to actually hug you."

Kakashi said nothing and only stared at the picture before him, noting how tired Iruka looked, the scar on his temple - the one that he caused - standing out like a trophy to the world. "He looks better with longer hair."

"Huh?"

"His hair. It's short. It's not so nice." Kakashi absently said. "Before he went to bed, he'd comb his hair a couple of times. I always thought it was a girly habit, but it was a ritual he practiced like some sort of religion. It was nice, his hair that is." Kakashi parted his lips to say more but the words died in his throat as Obito's eye started to throb.

"I didn't think you'd fall for him this hard, Kakashi."

"It's just work. Providing I don't die of some sort of organ failure before that." Kakashi quietly whispered, slamming the folder shut and dropping it on the ground. "This is karma, that's what it is."

"It's kind of' my fault."

"No."

"Yes. Maybe Raidou was right. Maybe it was a cruel thing to do to him, but think about it. If you didn't agree to it, none of this would have happened. Maybe you wouldn't have liked him the way you do now, he'd be just another person to watch and gather information about. Just like everyone else before him."

"Thank you, cupid."

"I am sorry for your grief, Kakashi." Genma said, sounding so sincere that Kakashi actually looked up at him. "But I am not sorry for your hope."

"Hope?" Kakashi laughed. "Do I look like I have hope in me, Genma? _Look again_!"

"He's not over you." Genma said, firm. "Believe me, he _isn't_."

"He's getting married! Which part of that doesn't hit you people?"

"Which part of that doesn't hit _you?_ _Look_ at him, Kakashi. Just _look_ at him."

"I did and I have -"

"No, you haven't."

"Hey!" Kakashi sat up and glared at the annoying older person before him. "Before you lecture me about taking a good look at people, why don't you do the same?"

"What the hell, Kakashi? What's any of this -"

"Look around you! Look at people before you!"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Ra -"

The front door opening and closing along with the jingle of keys stopped Kakashi from continuing what he was about to say. Raidou was tugging at the knot of his tie as he walked in to the living room. "What going on?" He asked.

Kakashi knew that his face said it all. "Nothing." He mumbled, getting to his feet and padding towards the surveillance room. It was about time he sat down and watched and made a report of what he saw anyway.

The screens covered every inch and angle of the house. The equipment used was state of the art manufactured by Hyuuga Inc. and Kakashi knew that the resolution of the micro cameras installed all over Iruka's apartment was anything but a joke. Their own visuals were all connected to a hard-drive that were being recorded which are then transmitted to an agent's private servers over at HQ as backup. Kakashi knew that every single bit of Iruka's privacy was in his very hands. No one would be able to access it without clearance from him first unless it was Ibiki, Tsunade or Jiraiya.

The living room was littered with boxes and Iruka wasn't alone that night. His fiancé - Ayano, from what he read in the folders earlier - was with him and they were both slowly unpacking the said boxes. Iruka was moving around furniture while Ayano arranged the books in to their proper shelves. They were talking, laughing and making jokes about something or the other. Kakashi wasn't really following their conversation; he was too busy watching Iruka.

Iruka was dressed in nothing but a pair of old jeans and a ripped hanging t-shirt. As minutes ticked by, he moved from hauling furniture to moving the boxes to one corner of the living room so as to make some space for the rug. Ayano stepped down from the small ladder she was standing on to reach the higher shelves and stared around the living room space.

_"You know, it's a very nice apartment. Too nice, if you ask me."_ She said, voice like little bells.

It grated Kakashi's nerves.

_"Yeah, it's not something I can usually afford on my normal paycheck."_ Iruka said, rubbing the back of his neck in that sheepish way of his. The memory of the number of times Iruka did that very action because of something he said was ingrained in to his head.

_"You deserve this! You've worked so hard and this could be your lucky break! Cheer up!"_ Ayano wrapped her arms Iruka's waist, kissing his chin.

It dawned in Kakashi's mind just how _perfect_ they both looked together, how Ayano's body snugly fit in to Iruka's the way Iruka's body once fitted in to his. From another screen, he could see Iruka's face and how happy he was with his fiancé. He could see the glow in his eyes, that spark that meant that he was content and pleased with life. That expression was somewhat once directed at him at some point once upon a time ago. But now, seeing the same expression that he knew he treasured and loved dearly directed to someone else was enough to add a few more cracks to his already delicate state of heart.

He started to narrow his eyes a bit because all the screens were getting blurry all of a sudden. He glanced at the controls and at the graphs on the laptop on the other side of the room. There wasn't anything wrong with equipment. Everything was blurry, not just the screens and when he looked up at the said screens again, he found the happily engaged couple in a lip lock so passionate that he could feel his blood heat up (both as a normal man's reaction and of jealousy and resentment).

_"I'm going to miss you when I'm away." _Ayano said as they both lowered themselves to the polished floor.

_"I will too. It's going to be lonely without you, Ayano." _Iruka whispered, arms wrapped around her back and fingers playing with her loose hair.

_"Hmmm, you know we're not going to get anything done, right?"_ She giggled.

_"I can do it later. For now, you're more important."_

Ever since Iruka walked out on him that day, he never did show anything except anger whenever the subject of Iruka came up (or even his name in general). But now, seeing the couple kiss hotly once more and hands starting to wander right before his eyes, he couldn't stop the torrent of silent tears trickling down his angrily narrowed eyes. He hoped that after that evening, he can somehow move on.

He vowed that it was going to be the first and last time he was going to cry over Iruka.

TBC

Uhm apologies for the late late late chapter. I went on hiatus and well, now I'm back. Hopefully with a vengeance too. This chapter was a bitch to write, I had to change so many things so many times at one point, but that's as good as it can get.

Credits:

- Recipes (dot) com for the ramen ingredients Raidou was using. I had to look that one up.

- Hihara is a name I nabbed from the anime La Corda D'Oro.

- I am aware that back in Roommate, that insanely large bulldog was named Chibi. But now since the manga has made it official, I will be using the name Bull to refer to that dog. I can't remember the other dogs' names, so I'm sticking to what I used before.

- I have also managed to locate a song that best describes Kakashi in both arcs. His emotions as of now is pretty much the same as Cher's "If I could turn back time". It's a nice song. Sad lyrics too. It's rather pitiful really.

- The picture Kakashi took from the folder (the one of Iruka in a train station) is actually illustrated. Should be in my LJ (no, not the lemon account).

- Kakashi knitting is the rough equivalent of Raidou cooking. That is how they channel out excessive anger: by keeping themselves busy. I'm still thinking of what to use for Genma.

That's about it really. As usual, I would love to know what you think. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up and running far more sooner than it took to get this particular one done (forgive the shortness. It's actually a page shorter than the previous two).


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Naruto.

Warnings: OOCness, angst, emo-ness, swearing and sexual content. Now with added attempt at humor and weird sarcasm. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta; I might have missed some stuff.

**OFFICEMATE  
**

There was a bottle of sleeping pills snugly sitting in one of the boxes by his cluttered bed-side table that he never did get to unpack (yet). He spent the past few hours vainly trying to fall asleep said hidden pills were starting to get very tempting. The only thing he did succeed in was pushing the bed-sheets off the mattress completely and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase bed-hair. A glance at the clock told him that he had about seven hours more before his meeting with Naruto and the not-informed-Iruka. Just the mere thought of it was enough for him to jerk his leg from the thought-recoil and effectively kicking the pillow that was squished under his calf to the floor.

Ignoring the impulse to just swallow a handful of those pills, he growled in a fashion that would put his dogs to shame. He got out of the bed and picked up the gym bag lying in one of the corners of his room, dragging it across the floor from the shoulder strap. He started stuffing it with his gym clothes and decided that perhaps a simple black suit and striped blue dress shirt was enough to make an okay impression (he threw the bag containing the suit on the bed, not really bothering to pick it up when it slid the down the floor either). He was going to forget the tie on purpose because he didn't care if the Head strictly said 'formal', he was choking enough on the mission alone. He didn't need a tie to choke him further. He grabbed his watch - a rather expensive birthday gift from Raidou - and tossed it recklessly on his small dresser, along with his cologne. The clean pair of boxers and a rolled up pair of socks ended up in a lump in his over-sized gym bag.

He knew he was making too much noise simply packing and he figured he should check if someone was watching the screens in the next room. He made an agreement with Genma and Raidou (whoever was available) that when he needed to sleep, one of the in-denial-arguing duo would take his place. It surprised him a bit when he walked in to the next room to find Pakkun asleep on the reclining-swivel chair, the screens dark (because the lights were out) and only Ayano was asleep on the bed. Iruka was nowhere in sight in any of the monitors but the three laptops lined up on the opposite side of the room were flashing a red-signal, indicating that the satellite surveillance camera was doing a live feed of where Iruka was.

Kakashi grumbled under his breath - effectively waking Pakkun up, who looked at him with a frown on his squashed face - and walked over to the laptops, typed in a key sequence and found himself staring at the top of Iruka's head. The satellite surveillance provided him with an effective 3D view of the person being watched and judging from the surroundings, Iruka was apparently jogging in the park.

There was a cluttered mess of paperclips on one side of the table along with what Kakashi assumed was a phoenix model made out of said paperclips. He swore under his breath and walked out of the room to find Genma. He had it in his right state of mind to pummel the slightly elder man's head in with some logic. He found the man walking out of the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him, cheeks slightly flushed and forehead a tad bit sticky from what Kakashi was assuming was water. "Where the hell were you? I go sleep for a few minutes and then no one is - what happened to you?"

"It's too early for this!" Raidou called out from the kitchen, and Kakashi knew it was because his temper was getting the better of him (again).

"Look, I needed the bathroom." Genma hissed quietly, grabbing Kakashi by the arm and effectively shoving him back in to the surveillance room.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakashi asked, eyebrows knitted together as he stared at Genma some more. Everything about the man screamed sex what with his low riding track pants and a form fitting shirt that dutifully showed off the protruding well sculpted abs.

"I was keeping an eye on them, all right? Keep your pants on." Genma mumbled, picking Pakkun off the chair and setting him on the ground as he threw his weight on the chair, spinning a few times before stopping and staring back up at Kakashi. Genma's cheeks were still red and he was a tad bit boneless and too _relieved_.

Kakashi was already putting two and two together. "You jacked off while doing surveillance."

"Hey, I couldn't help it, okay? That boyfriend of yours fucks that - that hot babe like - ugh! Look, it was hard not to jack off, all right?"

Kakashi didn't know whether to feel enraged that his teammate jacked off because he just watched the person he loved fuck his soon-to-be wife or to simply laugh at the guy's face at the stupidity of it all. "You're pathetic." After a few seconds, he scowled at Genma. "He is not my boyfriend, stop referring to him as such."

"Oh yeah?" Genma cocked his eyebrow. "Not 'my boyfriend' my ass. Why don't you sit and watch that pretty boy of yours fuck her heh? He's pretty good at it. Besides," Genma jumped off the chair and pulled the door open. "He made me hard first."

There was a long moment of silence that just seemed to swallow his entire brain as Genma disappeared from his field of vision. Everything looked distant and surreal as his feet carried him to the kitchen, where Raidou was busy icing a tray of what he assumed were cookies and Genma attacking a bowl of frosting with his fingers. He sat down on one of the kitchen stools, reached out the rolling pin absent mindedly and thwacked Genma on the head with it, just because it felt right at that moment. He remembered hearing a distant grumble that sounded suspiciously like Genma's swearing and Raidou's laughter as he sank his teeth in to one of the cookies Raidou was working on.

He drank coffee, ate more cookies and later on decided that staring at the ballerina-cookie that Raidou molded and iced was far more interesting than eating it. Genma's voice was still in the kitchen and for the life of him, he couldn't remember what the guy was talking about. He was too busy thinking of how Iruka would fuck _anyone_ because in his head, Iruka was the only one fuckable.

Anything outside his mental equation was strange, not entirely correct or environmental friendly and surprisingly, it was somewhat stirring his loins without him even seeing proof.

XXX

He dove under the water after his last breast stroke, spun and kicked back against the wall of the pool and started swimming to the other side with a backstroke. Kakashi was a fantastic swimmer with enough speed that could have earned him a good rank in the world of sports. His secret to maintaining great stamina and a killer physique was simply by swimming. People envied his all-lean-muscle built and he made sure he kept himself physically fit for both his job and health.

He wasn't exactly sure if doing laps for three hours was considered healthy, but he wasn't feeling the least bit tired and the laps were keeping him distracted from the whole idea of Iruka fucking anyone, of Iruka on the top, of Iruka sticking his slender cock in to him and effectively making him feel good and call his name out.

The sudden jolt in his brain, accompanied by an echoing thunk in his head that shook his ear drums made him howl under water, sending millions of tiny air bubbles to rise to the surface. He surfaced from under the water, hands clutching his head as he bit his lip. He lost count of his strokes and accidentally rammed his head against the wall of the pool while thinking of Iruka's penis (as far as his memory could recall, that is).

"You know, from here, you look ridiculous." Genma said in the between breath intakes from his fit of laughter.

"It's not _funny_!"

"Yes it _is_!" Genma slapped his knee as he keeled over in another fit of laughter. "What were you thinking of?"

Kakashi scowled and pulled himself off the water, sitting on the edge of the pool and rubbing the sore spot on his head. "Go run in the treadmill or something. You're too noisy."

"Oh I'm done with my workout, thanks." Genma sniffed as he rubbed the corner of his eye, laugher finally calming down. "You done?"

Kakashi wasn't going to tell him no, because that would mean an entire lecture and a whole round of teasing. "What's it to you?"

"Well, Raidou specifically reminded me endlessly to _bring you back_ because he's making us a good breakfast. Sorta' like a toast to your new baby-sitting job. It seems like you'll _need_ the sugar rush or you'll never be able to keep up with the kid."

Kakashi remembered being briefed about Naruto when he received his mission and he couldn't forget the permanent wince that engraved itself on his face for a few days. The kid was a wild animal, an insane and sharp prankster with a mind of a prodigy (apparently). It just so happens that the prodigy part of the Uzumaki heir was hidden and dormant nearly ninety-eight percent of the time because he was too busy acting stupid and playing jokes to be even labeled smart.

That was according to Ibiki, who was briefing him then with a glued green wig to his bald head, courtesy of Naruto of course.

"Oh." Kakashi sighed.

"That and I figured you could you use a ride back. You jogged all the way here and swam for quite some time." Genma grinned, arms crossed against his chest. He was already dressed and changed in to something that wasn't gym clothes.

Kakashi looked at him for a long moment and frowned at the sight of the maroon v-neck t-shirt Genma donned. His brain decided to go in to his analysis-and-observation mode and he partially blamed the earlier bump. "Why do you always wear maroon?"

Genma looked down at his shirt and shrugged. "Dunno. I kinda' like it. Looks good on me."

"Is that a new shirt?"

"What, I can't get a new shirt? Raidou gave it to me." Genma pulled at the hem, stretching out the yellow and black print on the side.

"He's always giving you maroon now that I think about it." He blinked several times in thought, thinking back to all the birthdays, new years and festivals that they celebrated that required the act of giving gifts.

It was in that very moment that Kakashi noted just how puppy-pathetic Genma look with the slight blush on his cheeks as he tugged at the hem some more, his other hand tucked in to denim pockets as he clicked jaw out of habit. "He insists that I look good in maroon. And I do. The ladies think so too."

"Raidou said that?"

"Yeah."

"You believe him?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You look stupid. Like you're in love."

Kakashi barely braced himself when Genma's calf connected with his side and he fell in to the water again. He surfaced and was grinning like an idiot as he hoisted his arms against the edge of the pool.

"The shirt ain't stupid! This is my favorite shirt!" Genma grumbled, glaring down at him.

"That Raidou gave you." He teased back, the grinning starting to hurt his face from it being to amusedly wide.

"It's a very comfy shirt!"

"That Raidou gave you." Kakashi repeated to further emphasize his point and hopefully crack the thick skull that is Genma's head.

Genma rolled his eyes at him. "Raidou gives me a lot of things. Can you hurry up and go get changed? I wanna get home asap!"

Kakashi shook his head and pulled himself out of the pool once more, this time standing and walking over to one of the benches surrounding the pool and picking up his towel. "It's not home. It's an apartment for a job."

"Well..." Genma hesitated, tugging at the hem of his shirt once more.

"Spit it out, dumbass." Kakashi rolled his eyes at him, hitting the other man's knee with the edge of his towel.

"It is home you know? Sort of. With our jobs and all, it's the only thing I can call home. I mean you're like this - this annoying kid of mine and - and Raidou is like my wife or something, and Gai can be our stupid neighbor and Tenzou the milkman or something like that." Genma shrugged eyes downcast and looking deep in thought.

"Your _wife?_" Kakashi blanched, completely storing the milkman part for later blackmail material. It didn't really surprise him that Gai would be the annoying neighbor. It seemed picture perfect in his twisted head (somewhat).

"Yeah. Sorta like a wife. What I'd like in a wife at least. He's always just there, supporting, nice, caring, a great cook who makes the best pancakes. He's always nagging, always a worrywart and you know how he is!" Genma went on and on and Kakashi couldn't believe he was hearing what Genma was spewing out.

While it made him frizzle at the idea that Genma sees him as his son (that was just _wrong)_ and Raidou is apparently his mom (which isn't really far from the truth, if he tilts his head to one side and look at the situation from a different angle), he was glad that Genma thinks of Raidou as his wife. It gave him hope, like he was some adopted kid about to get a daddy. At his own train of thought, he shivered and slapped his head a few times to block out the image he saw of a domestic scene where Genma was sipping coffee and reading the papers, Raidou in a frilly apron and making something on the stove and him sitting on a high-chair with a bib.

"You just compared Raidou to you're non-existent wife! And I'm not your kid. Stop being a dick, or I'm telling Raidou you just called him your wife."

"Hey, it's not like that! I'm opening my heart out to you here! What kind of a son are you?"

"Oh, question!" Kakashi was completely taking the opportunity to milk things out of Genma while pointedly ignoring everything the older man said. "If you're my dad, and Raidou's my mom, so that means you two do what moms and dads do right?"

"Which is?"

"Love each other of course!"

"Kakashi -"

"Fine. Fuck each other, there I said it! How disgusting! As your son, I shouldn't say such things, but am I going to have to expect a baby brother soon? Can we call him Gendou?"

_"What?_"

"You know, Gen from Genma and Dou from Raidou? I think it has a very pleasant ring to it. Very the two of you, catch my drift?"

"_Go get changed you fucktard!_"

Kakashi sauntered towards the male's locker room, laughing to his heart's content because the bright blush on Genma's face was all the answer he wanted to see.

XXX

"What in the holy name of everything holy is _that_?" Kakashi said, staring at the green half-motorbike, half-scooter thing in front of him, parked innocently in the gym's parking lot.

"My new ride! I ordered it three months ago and I got it last night! Isn't it great?"

"It's weird!"

"It's the new in thing now!"

"Genma, that thing has the word 'loser' all over it! Look at it!" Kakashi gestured at the vespa that was now Genma's new baby.

"Oh come on. It's cute!"

"Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute too. Knorks are cute! Not a vespa!"

"It's not really a vespa you know?" Genma frowned, looking a tad bit hurt.

Kakashi sighed and stared at the vespa once more. He ended up sighing again and shaking his head. "Who else thinks it's cute?"

"Everyone, bike-junkie." Genma wore his gym-backpack on his front and mounted his silver bike, gearing up the engine and pulling out a pair of expensive and cool looking bike-goggles.

"Did Raidou see this?" Kakashi asked, still not believing that what he was seeing.

"Yeah. I took him for a ride last night."

"Did you remember to use a condom or does Raidou like to feel your wang all over in him?"

Kakashi couldn't stop the grin from coming to his face when Genma hit him up side the head with his extra pair of bike-goggles, ears turning. "Put em' on, dork."

Much to the bike's appearance, the engine was actually a piece of work. Kakashi admired the smoothness of the not-so-vespa (Kakashi still thought it was a vespa) and how it didn't jolt or have that rough feeling while moving against the road. It wasn't a racing bike like his and the engine probably wasn't as heavy-duty as his either, but it was nice and moved fairly fast than the ones he's seen before. It was one of those economical ones that also happened to be environmental friendly.

When they reached the front of Kakashi assigned apartment building, he got off and handed Genma the goggles he was wearing earlier. "Not bad. It's kinda' impressive."

"Told you so. And it's cute."

"Genma, don't say cute, because you sound gay."

"I'm bi, but I'm not gay."

Kakashi blinked, completely not expecting that particular outburst. _"You're bi?"_

The mail man who happened to be two buildings down turned to look at them at Kakashi's incredulous outburst. "Use a megaphone would you? I don't think everyone heard you yet." Genma mumbled, turning off the engine and stuffing the keys back in to his pocket.

"So you don't mind sleeping with guys?"

"I like to admire beauty in all shapes and forms. But I like women more, I think. There's only a couple of guys who I find genuinely attractive." Genma shrugged, climbing the stairs and crossing the lobby.

Kakashi was eager to know more because then he can finally shove it up Raidou's nose and tell him to actually move forward. "Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Well, let's see." They both entered the elevator and Kakashi pressed their floor button. "Iruka for one. And that friend of his, Izumo? He's really, really cute. You're not so bad yourself; I'd do you any day."

Kakashi felt his mouth go dry and his ears heat up because there was a point and time a long time ago when he did wish to fuck Genma (just not the other way around). "Oh."

"Hmm, Tenzou is okay. He's got that sweet face. Oh and Raidou. He's very handsome."

Kakashi blinked and shrugged. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. He's very rough, know what I mean? He's not a pretty boy, he's not a magazine-face and I'm not talking about his scars. Those are beautiful."

"It is! He's beautiful!" Kakashi nodded, agreeing. "You'd do him too, right?"

Genma merely shrugged as the door slid open. Nothing further was said as Kakashi made his way to his door and unlocked it, stepping inside in the sweet smelling house. Megane was lying by the door and slid across it when Kakashi pushed the door open. That particular dog had a thing with opening and closing doorways. The kitchen was quiet, but the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the apartment along with several other things that Kakashi couldn't pin-point what they were exactly, except that they were probably breakfast related things.

Raidou was not in the kitchen when he peeked in with Genma looking over his shoulder. They entered the living room and found Raidou curled up against the couch, shower-clean and hugging one of the throw pillows to his chest. Kakashi knew that Raidou was beyond stressed because the man never left the kitchen in the past twenty four hours and the people back at Ibiki's HQ was probably enjoying too much good food (he knew that Ibiki's accounting department personally funded for Raidou's cooking whims). Despite the wrinkled and melted and skin on his face, Raidou was one of the few people Kakashi knew who really had a complete baby-face, especially when sleeping.

"He's going to be pissed if he finds out that he fell asleep." Genma mumbled, crouching down.

"You wake him up." Kakashi said, deciding to leave the two together for a bit and to let Genma handle the situation. "Just don't say anything that'll piss him off."

"Hey, I don't do that."

"Yes you do. Why do you think he's always in the kitchen after you argue with him or say something stupid?"

Genma merely blinked up at him confusedly. Kakashi waved a dismissing hand at him and puttered towards the surveillance room, tugging the zipper of his jacket down. The satellite surveillance was already on standby mode which meant that Iruka was within his apartment. Pakkun and Ishi were sharing a chair and napping on it. Kakashi left them alone to sleep on as he scanned the screen on by one. He found Iruka standing in the kitchen sipping coffee while leaning against the counter and staring out the window of his living room from where he was standing. He looked like he just got out of the shower and was in nothing but a pair of old sweatpants.

Kakashi forgot everything he just got off Genma as his mind solely focused on Iruka sitting there, drinking coffee and looking far more desirable than he could remember. The short hair was indeed giving him a mysterious and professional impression along with an explosive impact on his libido. It didn't help that Iruka was shirtless and the navel ring was gleaming under the morning rays straying from the living room to the open kitchen area. Kakashi's mouth was like sandpaper all of a sudden and his neck was starting to get hot. He sucked in a shaky breath and leaned heavily against the window sill, staring wantonly at Iruka's image on the screen.

_"Hey, you."_

Ayano strolled in to the kitchen in a pair of lace panties and an old baby-tee, hair brushed and pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her winning smile brightened up Iruka's face as she walked up to him and took a sip from the coffee in his mug. Kakashi felt his chest go numb. No matter how many times he saw them together, he was never going to get used to the fact that Ayano was going to be Iruka's wife soon (if not already).

_"Morning, you." _Iruka greeted back, smiling and leaning down to kiss her on the lips briefly. _"Slept okay?" _

_"Not really. I think I'll sleep on the plane instead. You hungry?"_

_"No, don't bother with that. You got your things together? I'm going to drop you off."_

_"Yep, all ready. I'll be back in a week."_

Kakashi rolled his eyes and made a face. "Sappy bitch."

_"One week will go by fast. I hope."_ Iruka said quietly, a very wanting and needy expression on his face that gave Kakashi the sudden urge to simply walk back in to the apartment across the street and make the man his.

_"Please, please don't just live on ramen? Do eat something substantial? I've left pre-cooked stuff in the freezer. You just have to make your own rice."_

_"That's something I can't burn, I'll give you that."_

_"Silly man."_ She giggled, wrapping her arms around Iruka's neck and pulling him down for another kiss.

Kakashi watched as Iruka distractedly put down his cup in the sink and pulled Ayano's petite figure closer to his own, hands playing with the hem of her shirt as a few fingers strayed passed the waist band of what Kakashi admitted (silently and begrudgingly) were very sexy underwear. He watched with slowly growing discomfort as Iruka hoisted Ayano against the kitchen counter, deepening their kiss and hands finally tugging those panties off, letting the small pair slide off his finger and on to the floor.

_"What time do you have to be in the airport?"_

_"In an hour."_

_"Well it takes about half an hour to get there by bus. We have time."_

_"You're talking too much Iruka."_ She sing-songed. It made Kakashi shiver when she slowly dragged her tongue across Iruka's kiss-bruised lips.

Kakashi's eyes widened when Iruka's pants finally dropped to the floor and the image of Iruka going commando around at home struck him hard and rough below the belt. Iruka's arousal was as hard and eager as the heat of the sun outside; it was also making Kakashi sweat in ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend. He slid down against the wall and stared dumbfounded at the screens as Iruka proceeded to erotically suck at Ayano's small and cute breasts, fingers fondling and making her wet and moan like some A-grade whore off a strip joint (only this time it wasn't an act, it was actually rather genuine).

Iruka was hard and quick, his act of fucking his fiancé the very definition of a quickie. It was the ideal quickie, where his hands never left her, skilled golden tanned fingers tracing her hips and rubbing her naval a few times (apparently to kick up her orgasm). He left kiss marks on her breasts and shoulders, somewhat also being very gentlemanly to not mark her neck because it would be difficult to cover. His kisses were thick with passion and adoration, tongue wild and daring as he kissed his soon-to-be-wife from head to toe. He worshipped her and Kakashi somewhat felt the knife in his heart sink deeper as he realized that Iruka never really kissed him that way.

He forgot how much time went by when Iruka spread Ayano's legs and started pushing his hard arousal in to her eagerly waiting entrance, the surveillance room suddenly filled with short semi-quiet grunts from Iruka and passionate sighs from Ayano. Pakkun and Ishi woke up somewhere in the middle of all the thrusting and cries of 'don't stop' and 'harder' and looked at the screen with boredom, yawning. They even managed to spare Kakashi's pitiful shivering figure against the wall an equally bored glance before they left the room.

Iruka looked fantastic fucking Ayano. His hair was slightly slick with sweat, his small frame tight with the gradual building up of climax. He moved with a skill that even made Kakashi question his own sexual prowess, the heat-blush scattering from his chest all the way to his face. The short hair was being gripped and held by Ayano's slender fingers, as Iruka's hips rolled and moved up and down against her. It didn't take long for Ayano to come long and hard (what with the way Iruka was going at it) a long pleasured called filling the once quiet apartment, and apparently, so did Iruka. Kakashi saw the generous amount of semen that splattered all over Ayano's creamy thighs, the hardness in his pants tight and already dripping. His memory served him well by reminding him of the sensation of that particular creamy semen smeared on his own stomach during the times when he made Iruka go crazy with passion and need. He could almost remember the taste at the tip of his tongue.

The image of Iruka was glued to his head. He stumbled blindly towards his room, ignoring Genma who came inside the room to call him out to breakfast and dropped on to his bed. He stared for the longest time at the wall, the arousal still seeking attention within the confines of his pants. Frustration was building up at him and all he could do is whimper, hide his face under the pillow in shame as his hand snaked past the waistline of his pants to relieve the discomfort.

XXX

Just because he finally got rid of the problem under his pants, it did not mean that he was relieved, comfortable and finally at ease. In fact, he was feeling quite the opposite. After making a huge mess with his pants (surprisingly, he came hard), he had to take a long icy cold shower to remind him that it was just his male hormones reacting to porn and that it wasn't because of Iruka.

Kakashi was shivering from the cold shower and the fact that his air conditioner was on high-cool did not help things at all. He changed in to his boxers and robe instead, opting to dress up later after he ate. He checked his face a couple of times in the mirror, noting how the shiner Raidou gave him the other night was healing quite nicely. It didn't mean that it was gone completely; he still looked like he caught the end of a baseball swing. He was glad that Raidou got him on the side where he normally covered his red eye. He can live with some light concealing and let his hair do most of the covering.

He made his way outside to the kitchen where he could smell freshly brewed flavored coffee and the sweet smell of newly stacked waffles. Kakashi was _not_ the least bit surprised to find the small eating area in the kitchen quite literally over flowing with breakfast. There was enough food to feed half an army unit. He also wasn't surprised to find Raidou eating so little and Genma wolfing down food like there was no tomorrow.

"Sit down, you bastard. You're missing out on the good stuff." Genma said with a mouthful of scrambled eggs. Kakashi watched him as he took another bite off the toasted bread on his plate (that was resting on the table only because Genma's chest was keeping it from toppling over on to the floor).

"Coffee, Kakashi?" Raidou asked, rolling his eyes at the childish display.

"Yes, please, thank you." Kakashi sighed and dropped himself on the stool, eyeing the varying types of breakfast before him.

There was a basket of muffins (in three flavors: blueberry, double chocolate and vanilla), a plate of bacon, another plate of smoked salmon, a big bowl of green salad, a container of slicked pickled cucumber (Kakashi loved the pickles Raidou made, they tasted way better than store bought ones), several plates containing different kind of cheeses, toasted sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, waffles along with a very high stack of pancakes. Kakashi was getting dizzy at the sight of so much color and so much stacks of nearly everything. There wasn't even enough space to squeeze in an empty plate anymore. Kakashi will never figure out how Raidou managed to find space in _everything_; he placed the cup of heavenly smelling coffee between the bowl of pickles, the jar of home made jam and the bottle of maple syrup.

"Here you go. Here's you're plate." Raidou handed him a small plate with a fork. "Tuck in."

Following Genma's example, Kakashi helped himself to some of the salad and smoked salmon. He wasn't really that hungry but he knew that he could use some of the greens and maybe a bit of the sugar rush for later. He got lost in to the meal, Raidou's cooking skills never ceasing to impress him.

"You didn't sleep last night did you?" Kakashi asked, looking up at Raidou who was nibbling on a piece of sliced pickle.

"I couldn't sleep. So I blew the remaining amount of Ibiki's cash on the ingredients. I'm going to box these once you two are done. A van is coming by later to collect these." Raidou said, refilling his cup with the tea he was drinking earlier, rubbing his temple.

"You look like shit." Genma mumbled, brows furrowing together. "You look like you're going to come down with something."

"I'm fine, Genma. More coffee, Kakashi?" Raidou asked. Kakashi didn't need to be told twice that the guy wanted a change of conversation.

Kakashi grabbed his coffee cup and drained the contents, far too used to eating scalding hot things in a flash. "Yes, please."

Raidou left the table to busy himself with the coffee-maker on one side of the kitchen. Kakashi didn't miss the slightly hurt and worried look that crossed Genma's face. When Raidou handed him his mug back, he excused himself to shower (he was slightly covered with flour and batter), leaving Genma quiet and eating while Kakashi picked on the plate with cheese-cubes.

"You want that last salmon?" Genma asked, pointing his fork at the lone salmon piece.

"No, you can have it." He watched as Genma took the place and popped it in to his mouth. There was a loud disgraceful burp before Genma picked on one of the blueberry muffins off the basket. "You know, you eat a lot."

"And you should too. It makes Raidou happy." Genma mumbled, shoulders slumped and voice far too low.

"It makes the scale happy too. You okay?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just enjoying the good meal my good friend makes before he - you know - can't make anymore."

"That's rather somber. He's not going to drop dead any time soon, you know?" Kakashi answered, irritated at what Genma was implying.

"No, I don't mean it in that way. It's more like when-he's-married-and-can't-make-anymore gone. Not because-he's-dead gone." Genma shrugged. "I can't very well mooch off his good graces with his wife breathing hot fire behind him now can I?" Kakashi blinked as a moment of silence passed by. "Or his husband. Whatever makes him happy."

Kakashi choked on the piece of cheese he was eating and started laughing. "You did not just imply domesticity!"

"Hey, he's bound to settle down soon. He's not getting any younger and I figured he's they type who wants lots of kids and cats running around his house." Genma shrugged.

"Did it ever occur to you that he might not want that?" Kakashi offered, shrugging and sniffing the laughter away.

"No, not really."

"I see." Kakashi shrugged and drained his cup of coffee in one go. "Well then, Shiranui Genma, I am so sorry to inform you that you are one blind bastard."

"Hey!"

"Dumb shit."

Kakashi jumped off his chair before Genma's arm caught him. The playful brawl dragged on to the living room until Genma managed to pin Kakashi against the wall, the laughter knocked out of Kakashi's lungs as he struggled. Genma was holding him in a binding-hold, a technique passed down to only the secret ops where the right amount of pressure in the right places rendered their target completely and utterly immobile.

"Okay, you've had your fun jibing since this morning. But seriously, I need to _know_. Are _you_ going to be okay_ today_?" Genma asked, staring down at him because Kakashi had his knees slightly bent from the hold.

"I am _hoping_ that I'd be okay." Kakashi answered honestly. He was looking up at Genma, at the lips that Raidou longed so much to be his and wondered (out of nowhere) what would it feel like to be owned and why Raidou wanted Genma to be his. Genma was a very appealing man, his looks, charisma and personality was the big reason he fell for him hard at some point. "What's it about you that he like so much?"

"Who?" Genma blinked down at me.

"Raidou."

"What?" Genma's eyes were wide, but Kakashi was still looking at his lips.

The pressure on the hold was gone and Kakashi's arms were free. He brought them up to his chest, holding his wildly beating heart. Images of Iruka swam in to his head, how he was in control, how he simply _owned_ Ayano and how much strength oozed out of him like a flowing river.

"Did he feel that way for me? Did he feel like this, when I was with him? Did he honestly love me back then?" Kakashi asked, several flash backs of their sexual acts, the sweet moments, those quiet times when they were simply together and the feel of Iruka in his arms and most of all, the feel of Iruka holding him. He could feel his blood race, hormones overflowing as his groin starter to stir again. He looked up at Genma, helpless despite his struggle to have complete control of what was taking over his body. "I am really, really hoping that I'd be okay. He should be in the airport; could you keep an eye out for him for me?"

His legs gave away and Kakashi slid down the wall on his backside, hands still clutching at the fabric of his robe. For some reason, he was so grateful that Genma held him close, tight, almost worriedly possessive of him. It made him feel somewhat wanted and not the type of person who was beyond the dirt under someone's shoe. He felt appreciated, somewhat even loved in that twisted family portrait Genma admitted seeing him and Raidou as.

The door to the bathroom opened and closed. There was a sudden stop of footsteps echoing in the halls and Kakashi didn't need to look up to know that Genma was throwing Raidou a very _worried_ glance because barely two seconds later, another pair of arms was holding him as well.

XXX

Kakashi was on time and pigs were going to fly.

He had five minutes to spare as he parked his sports car in the parking lot. He smelled of cologne and his minty-cool shampoo, his suit pressed and pristine, a stark standout over the expensive fabric of his striped dress-shirt (where the first three buttons were left open). The heels of his boots clicked as he walked towards the main building, a flood of good-mornings coming his way as several of the employees in the building smiled and greeted him.

It was a good day, the weather not so hot (a promise of later showers in the evening) and not too cold. He managed to avoid traffic and pick a good spot at the parking lot, he knew he looked good, had good breakfast and had two irreplaceable friends completely supportive of him back home - what more could he ask for.

He smiled at the receptionist (even shamelessly winked at her) as he made his way to the elevators. Naruto and the Head were expecting him at the pent-house and he had exactly a minute to spare. He would be on time of course, but a part of him wanted to be a minute or two late, just so that he could stick to his normal tradition and honor his dead friend.

As he stood behind the gathered crowd, watching as maintenance-people in blue uniforms rewire something on the other out-of-service-elevator, he found himself wondering how the whole meeting would go. He could see a disaster in his head because he was never good with kids and from what he heard of Naruto, the boy was a hellion (no matter what the ladies in the accounting department said - apparently they hid the boy under their tables when he wanted to snack or was skipping classes or trying to call his friends when he shouldn't be). In his head, the boy was a turd and he made his personal mission to make sure the boy shapes up to someone he wouldn't be ashamed of taking orders from one day.

The elevator door slid open and stream of people came out. He was one of the last few people to step in before the last black-clad suit and tie individual squeezed in and stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry."

Kakashi could hear the veins and tissue popping from behind his eyeballs when he saw Iruka standing completely pressed to his side, looking up at him (Kakashi was sure that Iruka's eyeball tissues were doing a fair amount of popping) and immaculately smart in his black suit and dark blue shirt. The tie was even knotted yet (it was simply hanging around his neck) and it added to the whole appeal. Whatever appreciative looks that were being directed to him earlier (he knew he looked good) was not all directed to the new comer to the building. Some of the ladies in the elevator started tittering and shooting Iruka appreciative glances.

Kakashi was very, very tempted to pull the gun he had under his jacket and shoot their eyes and brains out to oblivion. He kept his face blank and surprisingly straight as he turned away from the wide eyed gaze Iruka was directing at him, opting to stare at metallic doors with weird funny prints before him.

The elevator stopped a few times (due to the maintenance) and it only started to get a little spacier after the twelfth floor. By the time they hit the thirtieth floor, the elevator was empty save for him and Iruka. The lights flickered every now and then and the silly elevator music would scrape like a hiccupping chick because of the unsteady flow of power. Otherwise, the place was silent. Kakashi leaned against the wall, next to all the floor-buttons, studying the marble floor of the elevator while Iruka busied himself knotting his tie on the other side of the elevator.

Kakashi found himself watching Iruka struggle with the tie before the lights flickered out completely, the music died out and elevator came to a complete stop. Kakashi couldn't believe his rotten luck decided to kick in at that moment of _all_ times. He looked up at the ceiling, knowing that somewhere across town, two of his friends would be watching him. He scowled up for all his worth, before deciding to press the call button. It came to him two seconds later that there would be no one to answer because there was no power. He doubled checked his cell phone and nearly snapped the new thing in half (again) when he found that of course, there was no signal.

Iruka looked like a frightened kitten in the corner of the elevator. Judging by how he kept looking left and right, the man didn't look the least bit pleased. Kakashi didn't blame him. After all, the guy was stuck in a small space with a person who can wield a gun like it was his own hand (among other things).

Five minutes went by and Kakashi was starting to regret ever being on time. He was starting to wish he stuck to his normal late-entrance instead of leaving the house an hour early to dodge traffic. Not having much to do, he shifted his weight to his other leg and decided that watching Iruka wage war with his neck tie was far more interesting and entertaining than the glowing emergency light above him.

There were slight barely audible grumbles coming out of Iruka's mouth as he tried for the umpteenth time to re-tie the striped piece of fabric. Fifteen minutes later and it was starting to irritate Kakashi. "Give me that thing and let me tie it. You're giving me a headache." He said finally, temper getting the better of him because his voice came out cold and emotionless.

Surprisingly, Iruka handed him the tie from the across the elevator wordlessly. Kakashi took it, placed it around his neck and a few seconds later, he had perfect triangular knot. He pulled it off around his neck - mussing up his hair and shiner-cover-up a bit - and handed it back to Iruka.

"Thank you." Iruka answered voice low and withdrawn as he pulled the tie over his neck and started fixing his collar while looking at the mirror of the elevator. "How's your eye?"

"Fine."

"Has the swelling gone down a bit?"

"A bit."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Kakashi started swearing continuously in his head. He was finding it difficult to breathe with Iruka simply four feet away from him and making small talk. He refused to believe that Iruka was worrying over him, because that was an old tale and they've all moved on. It didn't help that Iruka was staring at him from where he was leaning against the mirror.

"Look."

"What?"

"Naruto mentioned your name last night, when he was confirming today's meeting. I wasn't entirely informed."

"Why didn't you reschedule then?"

"Kakashi -"

"Hatake please, Umino."

"We're going to be working together from now on, and the last thing I want is for Naruto to feel some sort of strife between his instructors." Iruka said, voice firm and unwavering, with a touch of easiness that was the essence of his personality. It also seemed to Kakashi that he wasn't rising to the bait (Kakashi's coldness that is).

"Naruto will not know anything, nor will he find out, unless someone talks. What goes on in this assignment will not be affected with what happened in _previous assignments_."

"I didn't want this either." The frown on Iruka's face was now more pronounced than before. Whatever cool and patience he might have had earlier was now completely out of the window.

Kakashi felt sick pleasure in watching Iruka's emotions slowly slip out. It was like winning a race.

"Join the club, Umino. You think I asked for this?" Kakashi knew that he was contradicting himself but he was determined to go through with the mission and _remain_ intact (mentally).

"Ignoring you and not talking to you is not going to help things nor help me move on." Iruka moved to stand across from him, looking up at him with a burning determination in his eyes. It made Kakashi's knees weak.

"Very good. You should know I don't talk much anyway. That part of me back then was real." Kakashi smiled at him, a sarcastic cold one even as his eye curved up in a mockery of a cheery smile. The elevator jolted and started moving up again. "Oh, congratulations on your engagement. I will make sure I send your fiancé some flowers. You know, so I can move on too? Does she have a preference?"

Iruka was looking up at him with something that he couldn't quite pin. Kakashi was never good with reading emotions anyway. It was always his downfall because he chose to ignore it as opposed to understanding it.

"White lilies. It's her favorite."

"I see. I will remember that." Kakashi said.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate it." Iruka said, eyes dropping to the ground.

"I hope she does. Again, congratulations. I'm impressed you move on quite fast. You should give me few pointers, Umino."

It wasn't his style to goad at people but for some reason, he could feel sweet revenge well up in his chest at the sight of Iruka's expression. Kakashi meant his heart-felt wishes to come out as a slap on the face and he knew that if words could leave a mark, Iruka would have had a large red hand-print on his face.

TBC

Notes and Credits:

- Genma's bike would be one of the Honda series. There's a bike that looks like a racing bike and a scooter molded in to one. I couldn't get the model name right but it's quite popular in the streets of the Philippines.

- A knork is a knife and a fork in one. Kind of like your spork. Got it off Rachel Ray. It's really cute!

- Genma's way of distracting (like Kakashi's knitting and Raidou's cooking) would be paperclip-art. Much thanks to a reviewer who suggested it (I will get your name right in the next chapter, I promise!).

- I find it ironic that Kakashi would be a great swimmer whereas Iruka doesn't. That and swimmers and water-polo athletes have a physique to kill for.

- This is actually longer than the previous chapters. Thirteen and a half pages - woh! Apologies for the late update. Again. Buh.

Merry Christmas everyone! See? I'm very good this Christmas! I actually have my first _long_ Kakashi _and _Iruka moment in Officemate! Banzai!


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto.

Warnings: OOCness, angst, emo-ness, swearing and sexual content. Now with added attempt at humor and weird sarcasm. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta; I might have missed some stuff. 

**OFFICEMATE**

The pent house was furnished in a completely different fashion from the floors below. There was a stunning view of the Fire City, the stretch of endless buildings and the skyscrapers towering next to the Uzumaki Corp. Marketing building making it look like some glass-mirage. Being on the fiftieth floor didn't make Kakashi queasy. He liked the view and liked being so up high that it was almost like he was flying. All the way to the main office, people greeted him and bowed to him, some even shivering with fear as he walked passed. People in the building knew of his power, his abilities and his rank.

Then again, anyone within the Uzumaki Corps. pretty much knew a lot of things others didn't anyway.

His limelight was being redirected a little bit to the slightly shorter man a good four feet behind him. The greetings he received melted away to open curiosity and admiration to the sweet and cute looking young Umino. Kakashi didn't want to act like a spoiled brat, but with everyone's attention going to Iruka, he could already feel the bubbles of annoyance and irritation rising up in his system faster than an erupting volcano.

Upon reaching the secretary's desk, Kakashi was ready to spit fire at anyone who got in his way. The poor secretary - who wasn't the dimwit the Head took in as a disciple - was already turning several shades of yellow because Kakashi was glowering at her with the ferocity of a tiger ready to strike out.

"The head is expecting me. Along with the kid." He said, eye narrowing further.

"Of course, right away, sir!" She stammered, looking through the appointment schedule and reconfirming it. She then looked up and peered over Kakashi's shoulder (Kakashi felt more than saw Iruka standing behind him quiet and patient, waiting for his turn to speak with the secretary). "And - And the -"

"He's with me." Kakashi cut her off, seething even more when the secretary even took the time to smile back in her super-cute-secretary-smile when Iruka greeted her.

It didn't take long for them to be ushered in to the office, which opened up to a wide space, decked in all white and glass. The couches were white, the fur rug was white, and the wood supporting the glass table was white. Even the paintings mounted on the walls were in white frames and had white objects as the subject.

The only visible mound of color was sitting on one of the white couches, dressed in orange sneakers (Kakashi blinked at the untied blue shoe laces) and jean-pants that were seven sizes too big that had orange, red and yellow _things_ on them (he just had to stare at the fabric paint designs, the iron-on patches and the weird belts that weren't even on the belt hoops). To compliment the entire bizarre and circus look of the lower torso, Kakashi continued trailing his gaze upwards to find an orange t-shirt, wrist bands and armbands, a necklace and finally, a shock of wild blonde hair and eyes of the bluest sky.

Kakashi felt his heart skid to a halt as he swallowed the picture before him.

"Iruka-sensei!" The boy _screeched_ (Kakashi swore that his eardrums rattled in his skull), jumping up immediately from the couch he was practically falling asleep on and made an attempt to dash for the beloved Umino who was smiling a four-thousand megawatt smile; it blinded Kakashi for a bit when he turned to look at the guy. The boy's face met the floor as soon as he made three steps forward because he tripped on his shoe laces.

Kakashi couldn't stop the wince from coming to his face. He couldn't stop the scowl that followed right after that when Iruka all but ran to the boy's side, clicking his tongue is a disapproving manner and pulling the loud boy to his feet. "Shoe laces! Shoe laces, Naruto!"

"They look cooler untied!"

"And you look way cooler with your face kissing the floor!"

Kakashi felt the ground gape under him and his entire being sucked down in to the vacuum. He would have turned and ran away from the sheer domesticity being displayed before him (with jealousy on par because Naruto had all of Iruka's attention in less than half a second _flat_) when two other voices called out to him; he was so overwhelmed by the insane picture of the boy that was the son of his most respectable teacher that he failed to notice Tsunade (the Head) and Jiraiya watching him with amusement and barely repressed snickers. It was Tsunade who spoke up and startled Iruka in to attempting to stand straight with Naruto's weight around his waist and torso (Kakashi had to wonder if Iruka functioned as a children's swing in the park during his free time, what with the way Naruto was turning the small and skinny tanned body in to a carnival-ride).

"Why don't we leave you two to catch up for a few minutes, hmm? Kakashi, come with us."

XXX

"You are shitting me." Kakashi said, ungracefully falling against a chair in the conference room attached to the office. "That's Naruto?"

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Tsunade cooed.

"He looks like one of those crazy addicts in a rock concert mosh pit! You let him run around like that?"

"He's just like his father." Tsunade whistled, crossing her arms under her chest that were already spilling out from her business-suit jacket.

"Oh Minato-sensei was never like that!" Kakashi argued, remembering how his mentor dressed immaculately in fine suits, ties and looked like a complete business-man.

"You were still wetting your diapers when Minato was Naruto's age." Jiraiya laughed, moving up to clamp his hand down on Kakashi's head. He ruffled the hair affectionately and jerked Kakashi's head forward, eyes wide. "Who or what the hell managed to give you _that_?"

Kakashi found his face being pulled down a bit and his eyes wandering over too much cleavage as Tsunade examined his still swollen eye. "My goodness! Did you get hit by a truck?"

"Kitchen tile." Kakashi mumbled. He learned a long time ago that lying to Tsunade or Jiraiya when being inquired about any form of injury would only mean additional injuries if he didn't say the truth from the beginning. He didn't need more bruises; he got a fairly good dose of it from Raidou and/or Genma and mental ones from Iruka.

"Please tell me you didn't trip on something because you were looking for milk in the fridge." Tsunade sighed, pulling out a small prescription pad from her pocket along with a pen.

"Raidou and I had a bit of an argument..."

A long moment of silence passed between the three of them. Tsunade studied the prescription she just wrote before handing the paper to Kakashi. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine." Kakashi answered flatly, tucking the prescription in to his inner jacket pocket.

A minute passed by in silence once more before Jiraiya spoke. "You basically know what you have to do with Naruto. He has no clue who you are except that the guy showing up with Iruka the next day is going to be 'the other sensei who doesn't do the paper-stuff', his words exactly."

Kakashi couldn't help but find his new protégé cute. "Is that so?"

"The rest of the special selected class is going to meet up a week after school starts officially. You have fourteen days starting today to basically know and bond with your new student." Tsunade said, pacing the room and turning to look out the window.

"It's not cheating the other students, but we all know how hard it has been on the boy, what with every single tutor he has quitting on him and treating him like trash." Jiraiya said. "You're not going to disclose anything about the training itself anyway. Only then would it mean cheating the other kids."

Kakashi weighed his options. He figured that gathering information and assessing the boy within the next two weeks would help him adjust and plan the right tactics to use on Naruto so as to utilize the learning time to its fullest. Then again, he can still use two weeks of just lounging around in his newly appointed apartment, leave the boy till school starts (so as to be fair with the others) and enjoy more of Raidou's cooking.

"I don't think you guys have to worry about anything." Kakashi said, hearing a loud indignant yell from beyond the door of the conference room, quickly followed by two people laughing. "I'm sure that everything I mess up, his molly-coddler over there will take care of it."

Kakashi knew he had no chance of even gaining a quarter of the fondness or respect Naruto had for Iruka. He wasn't like Iruka and he will never be anything like him. His life was a walking lie and contradiction, tainted with everything unholy and dirty. He knew that no matter how he tried, things will just end up getting screwed. He felt like it was karma for the all the things he's said and done to more than a thousand people, one of them already laughing with his appointed protégé, acting everything a teacher, a friend and father should be.

The assignment didn't even officially start and he was already feeling like he was robbed of all hope.

"That's another thing. You and Iruka, you _have_ to get along. Fix it!" Tsunade ordered.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi stood up, eyes narrowing and voice dropping several decibels. "It was your assignment that got me in this mess."

"With all due respect, Kakashi, it was your tactic and approach that got you in this mess. Why couldn't you have stuck to the normal retrieve and analyze routine?" Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and spoke again before Kakashi could even open his mouth. "Look, just fix things, all right? Naruto isn't dumb. The moment he picks up hostility between you two -"

"He'll do what, Tsunade-sama?"

"We don't know yet." Jiraiya interfered. "Look, Kakashi, this is for your own good as well. The more -"

"Oh I understand, Jiraiya-sama. You know, moving on and all. I mean, it's easy right? Once you make a habit out of it? Hey, do you know any florist that by any chance who makes really nice lilies arrangements? His wife likes lilies. We spoke in the elevator." Kakashi smiled, sarcasm reaching a whole new level of disrespect.

"Well that's a start." Tsunade threw her arms in the air. "I'm sick and tired of handling violation warnings everyday. That stunt you pulled off with your dogs the last time? When he was moving in? Thank you, Kakashi. I can only pull a few more strings before they throw your skinny white ass in to prison."

"Hey!" Kakashi turned to look at her, voice rising. "It's not my fucking fault! You want to blame someone? Blame Raidou - that sick cunt! - for putting the fucking idea in to his head in the first place!"

"Oh yeah? And it's not your lack judgment? At all? My goodness, Kakashi, you've been in the business for years! Have you learned nothing?" Tsunade asked, tiredly and almost like she had lost all hope.

Kakashi didn't want to deal with any of it. He had to concentrate on Naruto and figure out ways to be around Iruka while maintaining at least five feet of distance from him.

"Can we not talk about this please?" He asked, sighing as he ran his fingers through his messy silver hair. "I'm already trying, okay? And it's not like I do it on purpose. We're working together now and it's going to be unavoidable. If it's such an inconvenience to you, why did you hire him in the first place?"

"Because, your report said so." Jiraiya pointed out. "Besides, he was already a target-candidate two years ago. We just needed some reassurance, that's why we sent you out. Things just fell in to place. You said so yourself. He's honest, reliable, practical and resourceful."

"Well." Kakashi shoved his hands in to his pockets. "I just hope that my judgment _this time_ isn't so screwed up then."

"Naruto is your priority here. Learn what you can, then plan your tactics. I've booked you three a table at The Butterfly. You three are having lunch there." Tsunade said, picking up her purse from the conference table. "You can use your car or the provided limousine. See whatever arrangement you three settle on."

"Right." Kakashi mumbled, already feeling his day sinking deeper in to the pits. He didn't give either of the two respectable people before him a chance to delve deeper in to what he really felt and thought of the whole situation, but knowing them and their prowess, he wouldn't be too surprised if they got all the information they needed.

It was already shaping up to be a cursed and doomed day and all he got for reassurance was Jiraiya's wink and firm pat on the back right before he walked in to the room to find Naruto running around Iruka, playing some sort of guessing game.

XXX

The moment Naruto took notice of him, the boy fell quiet and stared up at him through his hair and narrowed eyebrows. Kakashi knew that it was the most basic form of defense because the boy was ready to leap at anything negative directed towards him. Iruka was standing perfectly still a few feet away. The staring started once Jiraiya and Tsunade left the room to deal with other things (right after telling them about their lunch arrangement).

Kakashi let out a sigh and decided to play nice-daddy.

He parted his lips to speak but only ended up pressing them back together firmly when the stare (it was more of a glower) intensified. Kakashi sighed out loud once more and shoved his hands back in to his pockets. From behind Naruto, he could see Iruka trying to keep a straight face and looking away to hide his amusement (and failing miserably because Kakashi could see _everything_ from where he was standing).

Kakashi was willing to stand in front of Naruto glowering all day if it meant that the day would end quicker. After the semi-tongue-lashing he got in the conference room, he was in no good mood to deal with a premature brat who thought that weird clothes looked cool.

"You're the new guy." Naruto said suddenly, breaking the ice.

"I am?" Kakashi blinked. He was in the business ever since he was born, so he didn't really consider himself 'the new guy'.

"And you're going to quit in at least two weeks." Naruto concluded, nodding his head and leaning up, chin up and crossing his arms across his chest.

The boy dripped 'cheeky' all over, it was no wonder people quit on him fast. Then again, from the history Ibiki provided him with, Naruto was never cheeky before. He figured that it was an attitude the boy developed from not having a stable tutor.

"Want to put money on that?" Kakashi offered, visible eye drooping further in to his lazy look. He couldn't believe that he was having an argument with a twelve year-old. His answer seemed to have startled Naruto, because now the boy looked confused.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Naruto asked, blinking up at him with open curiosity.

Kakashi openly hesitated in doing so and briefly wondered if he should give the boy a false name. When it took too long for him to answer, Iruka stepped forward to neutralize the stifling atmosphere.

"Why don't we head out to The Butterfly first? Get comfortable, like what the Head said." Iruka suggested.

"Good idea! It's snack time anyway! Sensei, do you have a car?" Naruto bubbled out, already bouncing on the heels of his feet.

It took a few seconds for Kakashi to realize that he was the person Naruto was addressing, and another five minutes to realize that the kid just called him 'sensei'. "Yeah, I have a car."

"Well, come on then!" Naruto said, grabbing his red back pack from the couch and already running for the door.

"You get used to it." Iruka mumbled as he followed Naruto out of the door.

Kakashi took another five minutes to realize that Iruka had just openly spoken to him out of his own free will and the fact that being called 'sensei' made him feel like his stomach was filled with bubbles.

He followed the duo out, finding Naruto waving to him from the end of the corridor while holding the elevator. Kakashi made his way down the hall and finally in to the elevator. Naruto was so eager that he actually pushed the button a bit too hard. As they made their way to the ground floor, Kakashi busied himself with trying to look boredly at the elevator ceiling. The elevator music was as annoying as ever and Naruto made sure that everyone with him knew about it. Kakashi vaguely remembered hearing him whine about how the on-hold music in phones and elevators were alike and that the composers must be very bored people because the music itself was boring.

Kakashi effortlessly tuned out (he was just about ready to saw his ears off because Naruto wouldn't shut the hell up about the goddamn elevator music) the boy and instead busied himself with staring at Naruto. The boy was rather too short for his age, cheeks round and rosy with baby fat. He wasn't chubby, not like that other child-candidate for the program who was the Heir to The Butterfly chain of restaurants world wide (Chouji he recalled his name was). There was a certain charm that surrounded Naruto and by no means did his eyes show that he was a stupid child; he actually looked rather smart, if only the crap that came out of his mouth would stop. Kakashi made several guesses about how the boy would react to things (simple predictions judging by his way of speech and body language). He was already planning what type of activities he was going to put Naruto through to channel all his excess energy while at the same time benefit from it.

"So hat color is your car? Is it big? Is it like some sort of van? Or an SUV? Or do you drive a limo?" Naruto was peering up at him with big blue eyes that Kakashi was suddenly reminded of his dogs when they were puppies.

"You'll see it very soon." He managed to answer without sounding like his vocal chords were melting from the adorable display before him. It was no wonder the ladies in the building adored Naruto - he knew how to look cute.

"Do you always have a stick up your bum?"

"Naruto!" Iruka scolded, glaring at the boy and Kakashi noted how the boy kept quiet and started pouting in the corner.

"Sorry." Naruto mumbled.

Kakashi watched with sheer amusement how five seconds later, Naruto started making faces at the mirror (and came up with quite a few impressive ones). Without knowing, his eyes strayed over towards Iruka, who was looking at him as well. Their gazes met and it took some time for his brain to register the fact that Iruka wasn't looking at him with annoyance or anger or anything close to those two emotions. There was a tad bit of bitterness in the gaze but otherwise it was sheer amusement and if he blinked really hard, he could swear he saw a tad bit of longing in those brown depths. Kakashi found his shoulders tensing, his breathing coming out quicker and suddenly he was on defense, his voice coming out venomously cold.

"Something on my face?" He asked. He watched as Iruka's body tensed in defense as well and dark brown brows narrowed. "Quit staring!"

Iruka looked like he was slapped on the face with a wriggling squid because he looked absolutely speechless. "I wasn't -"

Naruto was immediately standing in front of Iruka and glowering up at him with everything a short kid could muster. "Hey! Just because you're bigger, and taller and have weirder hair, that doesn't mean you can -"

"Do you like being stared at Naruto? Did you like how all your other senseis stared at you?" Kakashi cut him off.

Naruto swallowed thickly, torn between looking brave and terrified at the same time. "N-No."

Kakashi spared the boy the embarrassment of peeing in his pants because he knew that his cold killer aura was drowning the entire elevator. He sighed and smiled at the boy, all killing intent vanishing. "Well, neither do I."

Kakashi never thought the day would come where he would feel infinite relief just because the elevator doors parted open.

XXX

"This is so cool! Look at the rims! It's three-quarters my size! Wow! Ne, ne what's the horse-power? How fast can it go? Can it go over two-hundred?" Naruto was showering him with questions as he literally ran around the silver car. The boy took lots of time ogling over the rims of all four wheels and Kakashi let him.

Iruka was standing perfectly still and quiet a few feet behind him (last time Kakashi glanced back that is), looking perfectly normal, as if Kakashi's previous outburst was nothing. Kakashi made sure he didn't look at Iruka or that when he needed to look at him, he'd stare at something that wasn't his face (usually he'd end up staring at the small new scar on Iruka's temple and feel like the ground under him just disappeared). He gave Naruto a few more minutes to ogle and spew questions out that he had no intention in answering before he opened the car door.

"All right, all right, settle down Naruto. It's just a car." Kakashi sighed, folding the passenger seat forward so that Naruto could get in to the back seat. "Now get in or -"

"There's a scratch!" Naruto _screeched_. "There's a big, fat scratch on the door! And the glass! There's a crack! Why? _Why is there a scratch and a crack_?"

"Accident. Are you getting in or not?" Kakashi asked, getting tired of being lectured over a stupid scratch on the paint job and crack on the glass.

Naruto never made things easier and Kakashi was starting to wonder if the boy made it his personal mission to piss him off and make him quit faster. Once Naruto was settled down in the back seat, Kakashi folded the chair back to its normal state and left the door open for Iruka to get in. He walked over to the other side of the car, slammed the door shut with a bit more force than necessary and started the engine. He noticed that Iruka hesitated before he slid in to the car as well. Kakashi felt his hands start to break in cold sweat because Iruka was too close to him and there was but about ten inches between them or otherwise they'd be rubbing shoulders.

"Iruka-sensei, are you okay?" Naruto asked, head sticking out of the gap between the driver and passenger's seat. "You look kinda' sick."

"Do I?" Iruka laughed as he buckled the seat belt. "You're just seeing things Naruto."

"Hmm. Are you scared that sensei is going to run us in to a tree?" Naruto blinked and quickly looked at Kakashi, practically screeching in to his ear. Kakashi had to summon every ounce of will power to not cringe. "You're not going to crash us are you?"

Kakashi merely smiled at Naruto before gearing the car and reversing from their parking at a rather heart tugging speed. Naruto managed to let out a squawk as he bounced back against the back seat while Iruka clutched as the seat belt across his chest. Another shifting of gears and Kakashi was racing out of the basement parking area, Naruto happily bouncing in the back seat as if he were on a carnival ride. Kakashi took sick pleasure in watching Iruka turn several shades of yellow from horror as he sped down the main street and jumped several red lights just so that they could reach The Butterfly quicker (in his head the faster he reached the restaurant, the faster the day would end).

They got stuck in traffic just as they were nearing The Butterfly. Kakashi was trying not to fall asleep as Naruto praised him for his 'cool driving skills' and was currently pestering Iruka in to agreeing with him (that Kakashi was an excellent driver). Kakashi knew (and with glee) that Iruka was far from happy because his face showed it all. Kakashi couldn't bring himself to give a flying fuck. He drove the way he did and if Iruka didn't like it, he was more than welcome to get the hell out of the car.

The traffic was moving very slowly and Kakashi was starting to get very frustrated because he needed to finish one block before reaching The Butterfly. Naruto continuous ramble was starting to give him a headache and the fact that Iruka was right beside him, looking like he needed to be held; the look was already causing him to develop brain hemorrhage. He started counting one to a hundred, slowly, thinking of things he liked. He thought of warm miso soup and grilled eggplants while he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. He thought of his dogs, back when they were puppies and how much fun it was to give them baths and go for long walks with all of them clustered around him. He thought of a warm house where his dogs would be waiting and Iruka's presence would be around. He thought of how it'd be nice if Iruka was there to hold him after he's had a bad day and vice versa. He thought of how nice it must be if Iruka would take care of him the way he took care of Ayano.

Kakashi jolted slightly at where his brain suddenly took a turn to, his fingers gripping the steering wheel with sudden tightness that made his knuckles glow white. "Damnit." He sighed, sucking in deep breaths. He turned air-conditioning on its highest and tried to calm himself down some more. Naruto was finally quiet in the back seat playing with his hand-held video-game console while Iruka stared boredly out of the window. Kakashi felt his hands start to shake as he tried to remain calm. Emotions were raging inside him and he knew that if he didn't calm down soon he was going to nuts on both Naruto and Iruka. He was starting to panic, his brain racing a thousand miles per second, endless thoughts of Iruka flashing with blinding intensity behind his eyelids.

Things around him were starting to go quiet - the car engines, the hum of the air conditioning, the distant honking of horns, the bleeping sounds of Naruto's game console, the light tapping noises of Iruka's fingers against the car door - and suddenly nothing else existed except his mind and every little horrible thing he did to Iruka. Every mean and cruel thing he said flashed in his mind and he'd remember the hurt expressions that passed through Iruka's face with precise detail that he could feel his heart clench. He saw in his mind the amount of blood that covered Iruka's face from where the bullet grazed his temple and how that single image alone crumbled what little hold he had left on himself.

Just as things were starting to suddenly get darker, things were once again bright as reality came crashing down over his head when his cell phone started ringing. He blinked several times and fumbled for his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket. He couldn't grip the phone properly and only prayed that he didn't look like he was mental wreck in front of Iruka (Naruto was still absorbed with his game).

"Y-Yeah?"

_"So, how are things going?"_ Genma asked from the other end of the line, chomping noises accompanying his question.

"What do you think?"

_"How's the kid?"_

"Not what I expected." Kakashi answered honestly, glancing at the rearview mirror and feeling a little bit of amusement (Naruto had his tongue stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on the game).

"_Yeah? Is he a nice, sweet, cute little boy?"_

"Sometimes." Kakashi rolled his eyes, because he knew well that Genma could see everything from the satellite surveillance.

"_Pedo."_

"What do you want?"

"_Well, you look like you needed a reality-check. You don't look too good Kakashi."_

"You think?"

"_How are you holding up?"_

"Fine." Kakashi gritted out, eyes focused on the road ahead of him. He didn't even want to look at his right to see what expression Iruka had on.

"_He's staring at you. You seriously, seriously don't look good. Why don't you just drop them off at The Butterfly and then leave? You really, really don't need this."_

"No. I do."

"_You don't, Kakashi. You're blacking out in the middle of the assignment!"_

"I. Am. Not!" Kakashi hissed, eyes narrowing with determination. "It will end. As it should and all will be fine."

"_I sure fucking hope so. Because it doesn't look very happy from here."_

"Are you done?"

"_Think you can get me those lovely puff pastries from The Butterfly? They're not that -"_

Kakashi slammed his cell phone shut, tossing it over the dashboard and leaning back against his seat. It was nearly noon and the day wasn't over yet. He spared Iruka a glance and found him staring at him with a look that told him that Iruka was worrying. He knew that when the left corner of Iruka's lip was pulled down and his eyebrows were narrowed and his eyes looked a tad bit watery, he was worrying over the object or person he was staring at.

Kakashi told himself that he was seeing things because there's no reason for Iruka to worry over him. Iruka was just looking at him funny because - as Genma said - he was starting to look rather weird (what with being rather detached from reality).

He looked away immediately, pretending that he didn't see Iruka look at him worriedly; he was getting one hell of a migraine and the traffic wasn't over yet.

XXX

They managed to reach The Butterfly a good forty-five minutes later. They were ushered to their table, served the best wine (and best shake for Naruto) while the menus was placed before them along with a warm towel to freshen up. It was a lovely place, the theme being anything related to butterflies and floras. The table-cloth was a royal red, with golden butterflies embroided on the rich fabric. The china was white with the restaurant's logo embossed in gold. The walls were a soft golden-yellow, sponged with maroon and gold. It was a warm place, soft music filling the room along with the smell of rich whine and good food wafting in the air.

Kakashi busied himself with staring at the menu. It was no longer a brunch date but a lunch date, so he placed an order for some grilled fish dish with a name too long and a price tag that would make hearts drop. He didn't give a damn. The least the Head and Jiraiya could do as compensation was to let him have expensive fish dish that had a funny name attached to it. Naruto ordered a burger and ramen while Iruka ordered some pasta dish or the other. Once the waiter disappeared with their orders, Kakashi decided to get things over and done with.

"So, why don't you introduce yourself properly? You know tell me about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future. That sorta' thing." Kakashi said, leaning back against the red velvet chair that was so comfortable he could fall asleep on it.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, I like many things. I also dislike a lot of things and I have no interest in telling you my dreams for the future." Kakashi smiled at Naruto who was pouting at him with a crushed and let-down expression. Kakashi didn't need to glance on the other side of the table where he knew Iruka was irritated by what he just said. "So, go on. Tell me about yourself."

Naruto rubbed his head and then started talking with a smile. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like cup ramen! But I like the ramen Iruka-sensei gives me even more! What I really dislike is the three-minute wait I have to go through while waiting for the cup-ramen to cook!"

Kakashi could already see how he can bribe Naruto while at the same time, he somewhat pitied the boy for having such distasteful likes and dislikes. Then again, the boy had nobody in his life save for a few handful of people (who were always busy).

"My dreams for the future - I want to be the best Head there ever was!"

He had to blink once to make sure he heard it right and just seeing the determination in Naruto's eyes and grin was enough to tell him that the boy was going to bring change. He was like his father in that manner. He had the same look, the same confidence and the same fire the fueled a determination so strong that it blinded people.

"Well, now that wasn't hard now was it?" Kakashi smiled, eyes curved up in a crescent.

"Your turn Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered on.

"Uhm, it's all right Naruto. Kakashi-sensei and I have already met." Iruka offered weakly.

"Mou, you're no fun! I mean, sure Kakashi introduced himself but all I know is his name! And even he did it! Come on, sensei!" Naruto urged.

Kakashi smirked, voice coming out in a mocking tone. "Yeah, come on, _sensei._"

Iruka looked up at him with a blank expression and Kakashi knew that the smile that came after that was purely for Naruto's sake. "I'm Umino Iruka. I like ramen, honest people and hot springs." Kakashi didn't flinch visibly when Iruka turned to look at him with a smile so cold that he could feel his spine turn to ice. "I dislike pretentious people, liars, thieves and cruelty. As for my dreams for the future," Kakashi watched as Iruka turned to look at Naruto and beamed. "Well, I don't really have anything at the moment."

"Heh? What about Ayano-san? You love her don't you? Don't you guys want to have babies and stuff?" Naruto asked.

"That goes without me having to say it out loud. I am marrying her after all." Iruka said, still smiling.

Kakashi tuned everything out after that, opting to study Naruto and piece together a personal assessment of the boy. His heart wasn't really in to his assignment because he was busy trying to think of what could possibly be Iruka's dreams for the future or if he had anything at all. He was pondering over Iruka's words so much that he didn't notice when the waiter placed their food before them. He didn't start eating immediately because he was suddenly too preoccupied watching Naruto scrape out the shredded lettuce from his burger along with the tomatoes and onion before slapping the bun back in place. He also watched how Naruto picked every single piece of sliced green onions off his ramen bowl before he finally started eating. Kakashi made a mental note to change the boy's eating habits and encourage him to eat more vegetables.

He started asking Naruto questions about school, his interests in activities and what he thought of his classmates. It was only then did Kakashi notice that Naruto was blessed with an amazing sense of humor. The way he described some his classmates made Kakashi summon the will power to not just howl in laughter. Naruto was good with his adjectives even though sometimes he didn't get half the words spoken during a civil conversation. The boy had his own personal style of simply speaking.

"And there's this awesome girl! Her name is Sakura-chan and when I grow up, I'm going to marry her! But first I gotta figure out how to date her. Hey, hey, sensei dated before right?" Naruto asked, looking at Kakashi and Iruka with wide hopeful eyes.

"O-Of course." Iruka answered, clearing his throat.

"Y-Yeah." Kakashi was suddenly feeling very awkward.

"So like, did it go perfect? Like how you planned it?" Naruto was kicking his legs under the table in excitement that some of the crystal glasses and silver rattled.

Kakashi didn't have the heart to pretend he didn't hear the question, not when Naruto was looking up at him with bright, big blue eyes. He was pretty sure Iruka couldn't ignore it too.

"Not exactly." They both chorused.

Kakashi jerked in his seat a bit and turned to look at Iruka. They stared at each other for a long while and by the time Kakashi managed to look away again (because he was remembering their dates and how none of it turned out how they wanted it to), he noticed that Naruto was busy looking at them back and forth with a suspicious glint in his eye. "Not everything in life is perfect Naruto." Kakashi said, marveling at how straight his voice sounded.

"Yeah, I know that. But I really, really love her and I'd do anything to make her happy and not disappoint her and protect her. I mean, you'd do the same, right Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi felt a genuine smile tug at his lips for the first time in ages. "Yes, Naruto. I would."

Naruto looked taken aback by his answer but then he was grinning and babbling again.

Kakashi didn't think he could sound so freakishly honest by simply answering a child's question but judging from how Iruka suddenly excused himself from the table to head for the washroom, he knew that Iruka must have felt it too.

Somehow, staring at the suddenly vacant chair was so painful that Kakashi had to bite the inside of his cheek.

Naruto didn't seem to notice anything out or ordinary (he was too busy peppering his burger that the cheddar cheese turned black) and for that, Kakashi was very glad.

XXX

Lunch had dragged on to nearly four hours - what with Naruto's open discussion about everything under the sun - and by the end of it, Kakashi doubted he wanted to enter a restaurant again for the next three months or so. He wouldn't really say that it turned out to be a horrible afternoon. It was quite the contrary because by the middle of the whole discussion (actually it was more like Naruto doing all the talking and him gathering all the information he needed to know about how the boy thought - which turned out to be very interesting), Kakashi could confidently say that despite Naruto being a loud, blabbing, over energetic, fashion-less pre-teen, the boy was a natural leader and had so much potential. Kakashi could feel a small flame of excitement burning in him at the thought of just how much he can pass on to the boy and hope that he'd turn in to the leader they all desired him to be.

Kakashi was happy he came along. His focus had been on Naruto the whole time that he forgot Iruka was even there. He was keeping an analyzing eye out for the boy that he couldn't even hear Iruka's words when he spoke (it wasn't like Iruka was speaking to him anyway).

After Naruto polished off his fourth sundae (Kakashi wasn't worried. Naruto practiced enough Kendo and martial arts to keep him fit for the next ten years or so), the boy started to feel drowsy. Kakashi didn't really blame him; with the amount of ramen bowls Naruto just consumed, it wasn't a big surprise that he'd start to feel the pull of sleep.

"Haa! That was really good! Hey, you know I have this classmate and his name is Chouji! His dad owns this place. That guy knows his stuff! You know, there was a riot once over his lunch because it was so good -"

Kakashi was ready for a whole new round of amusement when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket; a quick glance at the caller told him it was Jiraiya. He patted Naruto's head - putting too much affection in to the simple gesture - before excusing himself to head outside. "Yes?"

"_How are things?"_ Jiraiya sounded keen on knowing.

"Not so bad. He's pretty interesting. I take back what I said earlier. He's just like his father, with so much of his mother's tendencies too."

Jiraiya started laughing on the other end of the line. _"Told you so. So, what do you plan to do?"_

"Well for one, I plan to introduce him to something you and I like to call vegetables. The boy eats too much junk."

Jiraiya gave an amused snort. _"Well good luck with that. None of us could beat that in to his head. You're a genius, so let's see you fix that."_

Kakashi knew very well that the reason none of them could beat it in to Naruto was because Naruto had no one but nannies to care for him since he was infant. Jiraiya and Tsunade were never in the picture up until the Third Head passed away. Back then, the Third himself was too preoccupied with the internal functions of Uzumaki Corps. that it was rather miraculous he managed to dedicate half the weekend on Naruto's upbringing (somehow). Kakashi thought that somehow the boy turned out all right despite the several attempts to assassinate him as a child, the loveless environment his caretakers back then provided him and the scorn he faced during school.

"Won't know till I try." Kakashi said, shrugging to himself as he leaned against the brick wall of the building.

"_In any case, that boy still has some stuff to do. Are you guys done?"_

"We should be. He's had too much sundaes already and he's starting to feel sleepy." Kakashi sighed. "I'll drop him off."

"_Don't blame him. He was up before dawn practicing his Kendo. Bring him to the main mansion. I'll be there waiting. You might want to avoid the high way. There's an accident and I've been stuck here for almost forty-minutes."_

Kakashi chuckled. "Will do. You want anything from here?"

"_Nah, tempting as it may be. I'm on a diet."_

Kakashi jerked the phone away from his ear when Jiraiya suddenly hit the horn of the car. Kakashi knew that Jiraiya was an insane driver and didn't like people blocking his way, so he could only imagine what Jiraiya was gesturing to the poor sod who tried to cut through in front of him. "I'll dodge the highway."

"_Yeah, do that. If I'm not there, just wait for me. There's a maid that we're going to fire tonight. Tsunade is going to give the call. She tried to poison Naruto two nights ago."_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "I won't leave."

"_Good. See you then."_

Kakashi slammed his phone shut and walked back in to the restaurant, signaling the maitre'd to bring them their check to the table. When he sat down, he found Iruka speaking in his cell phone and Naruto trying not to fall asleep in his seat. Iruka glanced up at him, stopping mid conversation.

"Yeah, I'll call you back." Iruka looked away, lowering his voice but Kakashi heard him loud and clear. "Yes, I know. Love you too."

Kakashi felt a sudden lump growing in his throat. The maitre'd came up to him and told him that the bill was taken care of (apparently Tsunade took care of _everything_). Kakashi thanked the man and bent over to shake Naruto lightly by the shoulders. "Come on, little guy. You still have stuff to do."

"I don't like accounts." Naruto mumbled, yawning and turning his head away from Kakashi.

"Well, you won't like stocks either, but that'll come later. Come on, let's get you home." Kakashi offered him a bit of a smile and Naruto reluctantly pushed himself away from the table and chair, pulling his backpack on. He was wobbling on his feet and trying very hard to simply stand still.

"Iruka-sensei? Are you coming?" Naruto rubbed his eye, yawning again.

Kakashi glanced at Iruka and waited for an answer. He knew that Naruto wanted Iruka to come and he was ready to say something if Iruka refused but much to his relief, Iruka smiled and nodded. "Sure, Naruto. Come on; let's walk you to the car. Don't walk in to a pole or trip."

"I don't walk in to poles." Naruto said indignantly while yawning. "That was just once, you know."

"Yes, yes. Of course." Iruka laughed and allowed Naruto to take his hand as he walked him out of the restaurant.

Kakashi walked two steps behind the two and mused at the fact that they were basically almost like father and son. Once again, he couldn't stop the pang of jealousy from rising in his chest, the claws of the ugly green monster scratching at his rib cage. He managed to keep a straight face even as Iruka helped Naruto in to the backseat of the car. He wordlessly started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

He took Jiraiya's advice and avoided the short high-way route that would take him to the private compound where the mansion Naruto currently resides in is located. Instead, he took the business district route and while there were lots of cars eager to get home, the cars were moving and wasn't on a stand still traffic. Half way through the route, the skies was already turning in to a dark shade of gray. Not moments later, the rain started to fall and Kakashi couldn't help but feel a sense of de ja vu. Iruka was as silent as a statue beside him, looking out the window and watching the rain drops slide down the glass.

They met light traffic and had to wait for several minutes before the road was free and open again. Kakashi checked through the mirror to find that Naruto was sound asleep in the backseat, using his backpack as a pillow. Without him knowing it, Kakashi found himself staring at the ring on Iruka's finger, watching the silver band glint under the dull light coming from outside. A thousand thoughts and desires crossed his mind then and there. He was half tempted to just saw the finger off Iruka's hand and burn it. He was also very tempted to just break that tanned slim finger and throw the ring away as far as he could. While he wanted to hurt Iruka for having such an accessory displayed so openly, he wanted to kiss that hand and give him his own accessory (and not some woman's ring that came with vows that was probably going to be broken anyway).

Iruka shifted in his seat, startling Kakashi out of his morbid thoughts; Iruka covered his right hand with his left, casually hiding the ring from view. Kakashi glanced up at Iruka then and was reminded of just how handsome and attractive the tanned man was. The short hair - while he didn't really like it - made him look tougher, more in control and definitely a hundred times more charming. Kakashi felt his heart slow down to a halt as he stared at Iruka's face.

"What are you thinking of, Kakashi?"

"Nothing." Kakashi looked away, not even noticing that Iruka had just addressed him with his first name. "Did you cut your hair yourself?"

"No. I got some help." Iruka was being friendly, treating the conversation like it was something he'd normally have with anybody.

Kakashi knew that he wasn't sounding very in-control-of-his-emotions at the very moment and he knew that Iruka was turning deaf ears to the sudden vulnerability in his voice. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Kakashi gave a sarcastic smirk and shook his head a bit, keeping his eyes on the rear bumper of the car in front of him. He wanted to ask Iruka so many things; if he was happier, if he remembered anything at all, if any of his love meant anything to him, if his love for Iruka could even amount up to Ayano, if he was even forgivable. In the end, no matter how much the green monster in him raged and shed blood, Kakashi could only swallow the questions that were ready to spill from the tip of his tongue.

"Whatever makes you happy." Kakashi shrugged, switching gears as the traffic slowly started to disappear and he was once again driving in the open road.

"For heaven's sakes, why don't you just spit it out, all right? It's like we're back to square one. All you do is stare!"

"I do not stare at you!" Kakashi hissed, trying to keep his voice down because Naruto was asleep. "I don't even want to look at you! But what am I supposed to do? You're on my passenger seat!"

"Oh what an excuse! You look about ready to kill me on the spot. Though, knowing you, you probably would." Iruka looked away, angry.

Kakashi didn't let the comment slide and he didn't really bother to reign in his emotions either. He stopped the car by the side, hitting the button for the flasher before his hand shot out and grabbed Iruka by the collar, jerking him forward. "Then don't tempt me! Next time, I'll put a hole through your head instead of just leaving you with a scar."

The moment the words left his mouth, Kakashi regretted it. He lost himself in his anger and when he realized it, Iruka was looking at him not with fear but with so much bitterness that Kakashi came close to touching his face and apologizing.

"Then why didn't you? You had every chance back then! Wasn't that what you people do? Take and then destroy?" Iruka hissed, hands fisting on the fabric of Kakashi's sleeve.

"Yeah, that's what I do. Trust me. I want no more than to break you in to a hundred pieces." He released his hold on Iruka's collar. "But see, I can't do anything because one, I have a restraining order on me. And two, the higher ups _wants_ you alive, for Naruto's sake." Kakashi turned to face the road and continued driving once more. "A few documents aren't enough to scare me. The only reason you're still alive is because I'm ordered to _keep_ you alive. Understand?"

"You sick son of a bitch." Iruka gritted out.

"Hey, you said something about moving on didn't you?" Kakashi smirked. "Well I am and I'm going back to the only thing I know I can go back to. And I'll take that as a compliment."

The rest of the ride was as silent as the graveyard, with Iruka as stiff as a board on the passenger's seat. Kakashi knew that what he said was harsh and that it was all a big lie but he couldn't help himself anymore. He might as well let Iruka think that he hated him and couldn't stand the sight of him. He'd rather Iruka saw him as a bastard rather than someone who couldn't even pick up the broken pieces and move on.

He reached the mansion to find that Jiraiya wasn't there yet and the rain was coming down harder. Iruka wordlessly took his jacket off and wrapped Naruto with it, carrying the boy to the front door, leaving Kakashi to attend to his car. Kakashi picked up Naruto's backpack and ran in to the mansion, managing to successfully get his new jacket wet. Peeling it off, he found Iruka climbing up the stairs, being led by a maid towards Naruto's room, Naruto fast asleep in his arms.

The moment Iruka was out of the vicinity, his phone was ringing and he wasn't surprised to find Raidou nearly yelling from the other end.

"_Have you lost your mind? You have a fucking restraining order! What were you thinking?"_

"He started it." Kakashi grumbled, knowing how childish the answer sounded.

"_Grow up, Kakashi! You getting on his bad side is not going to help things."_ Raidou's voice was cracking from the unsteady network signals due to the bad weather.

"I don't care about that, okay? Will you stop treating this like I've got something against the guy?"

"_Well, don't you?"_

"It doesn't matter." Kakashi sighed, dropping himself on one of the sofas in the parlor, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be back in a bit."

"_I'm warning you, Kakashi. If you do anything to -"_

"I won't. You know that. You're breaking up by the way."

"_Whatever."_

Kakashi dropped the phone on the cushion beside him, sighing and tilting his head back against the back rest. He didn't know that he had fallen asleep up until he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, kid, I think you better get home. You don't look too good." Jiraiya said.

"Hah. You're back." Kakashi got up and sighed, stretching. "He's in his room, Iruka is with him."

Jiraiya was eyeing him closely and Kakashi knew that his exhaustion must have been as big a stripper club's neon sign. Dealing with Iruka was too much pressure on his psyche.

"I'll send Iruka down. You two get the hell outta here. And Kakashi, get some sleep." Jiraiya turned his back and walked up the stairs.

Kakashi said nothing and waited for Iruka to come down. The man was silent and emotionless. They both made their way back to the car. The drive back was quieter than ever, with Kakashi focusing on the road and Iruka looking out the window. Kakashi wanted to get back as fast as he could and started putting some more speed in to the drive. There was a stop sign coming up and Kakashi sighed as he saw that the traffic was starting to collect again and began to slow down.

When the car didn't slow down, Kakashi started to panic just a little bit. The speed-meter was above a hundred-forty and no matter how much force he put on the brakes, the car was _not_ slowing down.

"Hey, slow down." Iruka said, looking at the road with mild alarm.

"Well, easier said than done. I'm trying." Kakashi answered, marveling at how calm he sounded.

"_W-What?"_

Kakashi felt all control slip away. He patted his blazer for his cell phone and started panicking even more when he couldn't find it. "Shit." He hissed, sticking his hand out towards Iruka. The stop sign was nearing and couldn't think of anything to do to stop the car. "I forgot my phone at the mansion! Give me yours!"

Iruka quickly took out his phone. Kakashi felt no phone touch his palm and glanced at Iruka to find him as pale as a ghost. "There's no coverage! It must be the weather!" Iruka's hands were shaking. "Kakashi, slow down! Please!"

"I _can't!_" Kakashi yelled.

He barely saw the large SUV coming up from the crossroads from the right side and Kakashi didn't even hesitate. The SUV was going to plough through them and he was taking great risk in what he was about to do. He estimated the SUV's speed, their distance and prayed that they survive.

"_Kakashi!"_

Kakashi shot his arm out towards Iruka, pulling him down and towards him as his left hand spun the wheel. The car swerved, spinning on a complete two-seventy angle. Iruka's scream was a loud siren in his ears and he thought of nothing else but his safety as he bent down and covered the smaller man with his entire body.

The last thing Kakashi heard was the SUV honking and the screeching of tires, followed closely by the crunching of metal and shattering of glass. The last thing he felt was the strong impact on his side while the car skidded across the wet street and collided with something solid. He felt his body shut down bit by bit simultaneously till everything around him faded in to silence - the screams, the continuous honking of his car from the inflated airbag, the cries of people gathering around the wreck. He couldn't care less about any of that. All he cared about was Iruka and his safety.

"_Kakashi! Oi! Kakashi! Kakashi, please! Kakashi!"_

TBC

Notes and Credits:

- The interior of the office at the beginning of the story was taken from Ugly Betty. Betty's boss had the nicest white office. I couldn't resist not nabbing that interior.

- The habit of Naruto peppering his food comes from me and another friend. We pepper our food so much it's not even funny.

- That large assed SUV? Think of something the size of a Hummer H3 or something.

- Yes I am well aware of the fact that it's been almost two months since I updated, which is why to compensate for that I put more than I originally intended in to this chapter (i.e.) extra five pages. This was a pain to write simply because I'm not that good with writing an emotionally wrecked Kakashi. I swear, writing Roommate was soooo much easier. Anyway, I'm hoping another quick update will come up. I'm writing as fast and as much as I can.

Again, I'd like to know what you think. This story is so emo I think I'm going to turn in to one as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: OOC, weirdness, sexual references and foul language, emoz and whatnot. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

Enjoy people!

**OFFICEMATE**

When he woke up, he felt like he was run over by a very, very long train. He was surprised to find that he wasn't in a hospital but was instead in his apartment bedroom, where the small desk-lamp on his bed-side table was dimly lit and a familiar feel of warm fur lay pooled by the foot of his bed. He tiredly blinked his eyes that were so sore that it felt like he cried for two nights straight; the pain reminded of the time when he first received his eye from his donor (only this time the pain was in both his eyes instead of one). He tried to push himself off the bed, instantly groaning in pain and biting his lower lip to stop himself from making any more noises.

He tried to move again and this time, he managed to sit up in bed. It was then did he notice that he didn't have any sort of cast on, except for the bandages that he had here and there - a large patch on his left shoulder, his left arm (now he understood why it was so stiff to move), his right hand, and left thigh. His injuries were concentrated more on the left side of his body yet he knew that underneath the thin white shirt and baggy gray sweatpants, he was covered in bruises (and in more than two colors too).

Pakkun was looking at him with big worried eyes as he swung his legs (though slowly and painfully) off the side of the bed. Standing up took a whole new effort all together; he couldn't even stand straight and remained hunched over in pain. It didn't matter how the pain was shooting up his spine and to his head and making him dizzy, he wanted to know if Iruka was all right.

Kakashi didn't even want to think of the possibility that Iruka might be hurt.

The walk to the door was a troublesome one. He couldn't take three steps forward without feeling the need to stop and lean against the wall because his body just wasn't cooperating. By the time he managed to reach the door, he was ready to collapse from the dizziness. Pakkun also started whining, moving back and forth in front of him. Kakashi managed to give the poor worried dog a smile before he turned the door knob and bright light from the hallway greeted him.

Pakkun started barking and he didn't pay the dog any attention as he practically slid against the wall to get to the living room. He was nearing the end of the hallway when Raidou came in to view. Judging from the expression the man wore, Kakashi could see that the man was furious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Raidou hissed, voice dripping with acid.

"I - R-Ruka ..." Kakashi panted, voice barely a whisper, his vision starting to pool with black spots that were gradually getting bigger and bigger by the second. The door to the surveillance was a little further; he could make it.

Raidou was beside him in an instant, taking him by his waist (while throwing Kakashi's right arm over his back for more support) and practically carrying him towards the kitchen where Kakashi made out a figure that he knew immediately was Iruka; the guy was so silent he might as well have been nonexistent. His vision was beyond blurry and it took all of his willpower to somewhat manage to look indifferent on the outside (he had to give himself credit for that; not many could pull it off with the amount of pain he was currently feeling). Genma was as still as a statue in the corner of the kitchen and he was far from amused.

"You half wit!" Genma _roared_. "You could have died! You could have gotten yourself killed! And another man too!"

"What is he doing here?" Kakashi asked, staring at Iruka. "Who let him in?" Kakashi pushed himself to stand up straight despite the headache he was feeling. He gripped the side of the fridge to keep his balance and Raidou let him go because the guy knew better than to remain by his side - not when his temper was starting to boil. When he got out of bed with the mission to check on Iruka via the surveillance monitors in the next room, he wasn't expecting to find the man in his house. He even wondered why Raidou carried him to the kitchen in the first place instead of the surveillance room. He was furious that his comrades and friends would let the one man that could bring his entire world down with a wave of a hand in to his apartment.

"I'm leaving." Iruka got up.

"Damn right you are!" Kakashi attempted to shout, but he couldn't. His voice was raspy and the words came out scratched and faded, like he had tonsils the size of tennis balls. He pushed himself away from the fridge, pissed as hell that Iruka was seeing him in his completely weakened state. His pride, combined with the shock from the accident was making him think like a drunken man. "Get the hell out of my house! I deal with you at work! I don't need -" Kakashi winced and rubbed his temple, squeezing his eyes shut to ward away the headache.

"Calm down, Kakashi." Genma warned, alarm in his voice.

"Kakashi, you shouldn't be out of bed. You shouldn't even be speaking." Raidou said, trying to sound calm but Kakashi could hear the warning in his voice as well. Both of his friends looked like they were ready to pounce on him to keep him still and from doing something completely moronic.

Kakashi managed to get a blurred vision of Iruka again when he opened his eyes. "I don't need to deal with you in my own house!" He could make out the white color of the bandages on some parts of Iruka's body. He wasn't sure where the bandages were exactly because things were starting to mesh together. "Get out! You d-dare w-walk -" He sucked in a breath and cleared his throat. "In to my house when y-you l-leave m-me with a f-fucking restraining or-order?"

"Kakashi, shut up!" Genma was near him, and Kakashi held up a hand to keep him away, the wince gracing his features at the obvious pain he was feeling just by moving his arm a bit.

"Kakashi, calm down. You should rest! You can't just -" Iruka couldn't even finish his sentence.

_"Shut up!"_ Kakashi didn't know where his voice came from, but the sudden jump the three men before him made told him that he must have been really loud. "You have n-no right! No r-right! Get o-out! G-Goddamnit, you two, get h-him out of m-my -"

Kakashi's tongue suddenly stilled in his mouth against his will, the voice dying in his throat. He felt his eyes close slowly as his body tilted and started to sink to the floor. He felt the cold kitchen tile touch his body along with a brief touch of fingers against his shoulders (he figured that it must have been from the lame attempt to catch him before he hit the floor). He wasn't entirely sure if he moved after he fell but he was sure that out of all the people with him in the kitchen, Iruka's voice was the loudest one calling his name out.

XXX

When Kakashi opened his eyes again, he was once more on his bed and it was completely dark. The presence of warm fur by his feet was absent along with the dim glow of his side table lamp. The pain wasn't mind wracking as it was when he woke up previously (he wasn't sure how many minutes or hours have passed since then) and it was only when he lifted his hand to push his hair back did he noticed that he was attached to an IV line. He felt a shaky sigh leave his lips as he slowly sat up.

He couldn't feel the tips of his fingers and toes. His felt like he was floating and he knew the feeling too well; he was heavily doused with morphine. His head was still throbbing but it was far more bearable than the previous time he was awake. Swallowing was a new task all together; his throat was as dry as sand paper. When he did attempt to speak, he sounded like a frog attempting human-talk. Kakashi didn't bother to try again.

Bracing himself, he sat up completely, his entire back feeling as stiff as a board. Kakashi felt rather robotic with the way his arms and legs moved (him not feeling them entirely contributed to that fact). The floors were cold against his toes (he wasn't even aware that his toes curled from the ice like cold) and his slippers were nowhere to be found. He had an inkling that it was Raidou who was responsible for his slippers' absence. It wasn't the first time his footwear vanished (and it only happened when Raidou was around) because he knew that it was Raidou's silent message for 'stay put'.

It was also in Kakashi's habit to ignore that message.

Using the IV stand as support and his walking stick, he got up to his feet and _hobbled_ like an old man towards the door. From the end of the hallway, he caught a glimpse of the clock mounted on the wall; it was a little passed nine in the evening. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure what day it was but he was willing to bet that a day or two must have passed since his emotional run down in seeing Iruka under his own roof. He wouldn't be that surprised (Kakashi was far too used to waking up and finding that reality took a joy ride and skipped several days forward ahead of his biological clock) if things were slightly different or that if something happened and he wasn't aware of.

It crossed his mind that Iruka might have even had the wedding ceremony and reception already.

A foul curse escaped his lips at the thought, the ugly green monster clawing in his chest again as trembling fingers pried the door knob open and light flooded his room. Swallowing through dried and chapped lips, he stepped in to the light and continued his mission of hobbling down the hall way. He was silent this time and too high on morphine to give a shit about what going on around him. All of his dogs came and stood around him, paws scratching the marble floors and whining through their throats.

Kakashi motioned with a finger to hush them and because he trained them well, they listened and kept quiet. A few steps more and he was in front of the surveillance room. He was not surprised to find Genma sitting in front of the monitors, a big bowl of fries lying on his flat stomach, a small bowl of Raidou's infamous honey-mustard lying on his chest. Kakashi never felt hunger till he saw Genma pluck a piece of the fried potato from the bowl, dip it in honey mustard and chewed like a pleased child.

"You hungry?" Genma asked while chewing turning to look at him as he set the two bowls that were lying on his previously bare torso on the table. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

Kakashi leaned against the door way and felt his knees go weak. Genma was beside him in an instant, pulling him up like he was feather weight and setting him on the plush couch they all decided to put in side the already cramped surveillance room.

"How long was I out?" Kakashi croaked, clearing his throat in between words just so that he sounded like he was speaking instead of wheezing.

"A couple of days." Genma shrugged, dropping himself on the reclining swivel chair. "And don't worry about cutey over there." Kakashi turned his gaze to the monitor Genma pointed at over his shoulder. "He's asleep on the couch from reading too much. Well, attempting to read."

Kakashi swallowed dryly again because Iruka was curled up against his couch, shirtless and a book lying face-open against his hip. For a single fleeting moment, Kakashi felt his heart skip a beat and his neck and cheeks feel a little bit _too_ warm; it did not help that he was wearing only a pear of sleeping pants. "How long?"

Genma was suddenly looking at him with an insanely goofy grin. "How long has he been asleep? Or how long do I think you've been blushing?"

Kakashi frowned at him. "What are you talking about?" He denied it of course, even if he knew that his pale complexion gave away practically everything.

Genma shook his head and sighed. "You've been asleep for exactly four nights. If you slept through tonight as well, this would have been your fifth."

"Oh." Kakashi leaned back against the chair, feeling suddenly relieved.

"I wouldn't say you slept like a baby though. More like on and off. Don't you remember?" Genma asked, tilting his head to one side and brows furrowing.

Kakashi blinked, his mind hitting a blank (he couldn't remember anything else after he told Iruka off in his kitchen). "Remember _what_ exactly?"

"After you collapsed, we _had_ to take you to the hospital _again_. Although you were already _in_ the hospital about six hours prior, the doctor said you could rest at home. Yesterday, when you were awake, you asked to go home and Tsunade - yes, she personally attended to you - said you could just because you _begged_." Genma shrugged, slowly raising an eyebrow when Kakashi simply gave him a confused look. "You don't remember anything at all, do you?"

"Not really?" Kakashi rubbed his head. "I must have hit my head harder than I thought."

"Yes, you did." Genma sighed. "Kakashi, after you collapsed, you went on a _rampage_ when you woke up in the hospital. You started throwing things around, screaming. Tsunade said it's just _you_ handling the shock, but man, that was some pretty crazy shit. Hell, Raidou didn't even dare get that close. Not after this."

Kakashi watched with open horror and shock as Genma pulled one side of his hair back, revealing a swollen cheek that was gradually gaining an interesting shade of blue. "Do you feel like hitting me anytime soon? Like now, for instance?"

Genma laughed and threw an arm around Kakashi's shoulders, pulling him close and ruffling his hair. Kakashi hated it whenever someone gave him the noogie but after seeing Genma's cheek, he didn't have the heart to say anything. "The maid did it. The one who tried to poison the kid recently? We tried to call you after she did something or the other to the brake fluid. But the reception was so bad, we couldn't reach either of you. I left immediately to get to you guys. By the time I reached half way, you were already being transported to the hospital."

For the first time in a long time, Kakashi wondered if he was meant to die on the day of the accident. "So that's what happened."

"She's taken care of. None of us will ever see her or hear from her again." Genma sighed. "The good news is that you didn't break any bones - miraculously. The car is going to be scrapped. Repairs are going to take too much that they might as well get you a new one."

"It's a good car. It's stable. It saved - saved our lives." Kakashi sighed, feeling a heavy weight disappear from his chest. The relief at being alive was so great that it left him boneless.

"Good thing you ducked down. The air bags kept you two in the car but if you were in any other sitting position, you two could have been strangled to death. You've got one hell of an angel watching over you, Kakashi. Iruka is fine. No broken bones except for a sprain on his wrist and multiple bruising after the impact."

Kakashi leaned further in to the backrest of the leather couch, exhaling deeply at the news. "Thank heavens."

He would never forgive himself if something serious happened to Iruka. He would gladly give up his own life for the man that was going to get married sometime soon. He got a bit distracted in his selfless thoughts when he felt Genma practically hovering the field of his vision, the loony grin back on full-blast.

"He was worried about you. He was flattered, honored, awed and mostly, I think he just fell in love with all over again." Genma grinned.

This time, Kakashi didn't hesitate in shoving Genma's bruised face away from him. "I'm going to go find something to eat. You watch him."

"I have a question." Genma piped up suddenly, rubbing at his sore face.

"I refuse to hear it." Kakashi grouched, pushing himself up and gripping the IV-stand tight for support.

"When was the last time you had sex?" Genma asked his question anyway.

Out of reflex, Kakashi thought back to the last time he really fucked someone and couldn't think of anyone other than Iruka a year ago. His hesitation was all the answer Genma needed. "None of your business."

"You're shitting me!"

"Oh fine then, if you're so clever. When was the last time you god laid?"

"Uh, right before your accident?" Genma looked smug and Kakashi was ready to pick up the IV stand swing it across that smug face. "Iwashi is a pretty good lay."

Kakashi silently felt sorry for Raidou. "Raidou knows?"

Genma blinked. "What's Raidou got to do with any of this?"

Kakashi sighed and glanced at the monitor and found Iruka shifting in his sleep, mumbling something and turning to lie on his side. "Never mind. The doctors said I can eat right?"

"Seriously, you have to get laid. You have to fuck someone. Or, well, you can get fucked too." Genma shrugged.

Kakashi was doing a very good job of ignoring the trash that was coming out of Genma's mouth. "Do I have to be on a liquid diet again?"

"You wanna fuck?"

Kakashi glanced up at Genma, the offer going straight to his groin. His knees started to feel weak and suddenly, Genma being shirtless with his sweat pants lying too low on his waist was making him feel too warm. "Get your sick brain out of the gutter, you fuck." Kakashi marveled at just how right Genma was; he needed to get laid. The only thing stopping him from actually jumping the handsome man before him was the fact that his body ached and the fact that Raidou was going to turn in to some sort of jealous-angst-ridden moron if he found out (not like he ever will, but Kakashi still valued what morals he had left).

"Fine. You want a blow job? You look like you could use it." Genma shrugged _again_.

Kakashi simply stared at his friend. It wasn't like he and Genma never slept together before (they have, on numerous occasions in fact), but now it was simply ridiculous. While the blow job sounded so tempting, Kakashi was proud of himself for being able to refuse, despite the fact that his body said otherwise. "No. Thank you. I'm fine."

Genma's face changed and Kakashi knew that the guy's ego just took a large beating (because he knew he was good and knew people couldn't resist when he offered - Kakashi used to be one of those people). "Okay, can I ask why you're refusing?"

"Because I am injured." Kakashi replied rationally.

"So suddenly I can't suck dick?" Genma asked, peeved. "Or is that little guy over there so much better at it that everyone around you turns in to chopped liver?" Genma jerked a thumb towards one of the monitor where Iruka was soundly asleep.

Kakashi couldn't believe it. He couldn't comprehend the basis of the argument or where Genma was leading him to. "This has nothing to do with Iruka, leave him out of it."

"This has gotta end."

"You're right. Now, shut up."

Kakashi moved to leave but found himself falling back first against the couch. One of the leather throw pillows was shoved against his face and a moment later his thighs were cold. The shove against the couch left him rattled, his bruises reminding him how much of a beating he took from the accident. He groaned in pain which morphed to a choked gasp and melted to a rather undignified groan of need and want as he felt hot lips swallow his slowly growing erection.

"Still saying no?" Genma smirked from between Kakashi's spread legs before his head started bobbing up and down.

"G-Genma, n-no. R-Raidou ..." Kakashi couldn't wrap his brain around anything because Genma's tongue and mouth fulfilled so much sexual desires and freed a good portion of his accumulated stress that he couldn't stop the long hiss from coming out his lips. He came too quickly and too hard that it left him feeling humiliated for losing his control. He turned his face away, not wanting to see the look on Genma's face or the mirth in his eyes.

"Impressive. You're too sour today. Does your balls alter flavors according to your mood?" Genma asked.

Kakashi felt hot fingers on his chin forcefully turning his face to meet Genma's worried look. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I don't see you complaining." Genma shrugged, bringing up a finger to wipe off the white smear on his chin.

"I can't really complain can I? I can't fight you off, because I hurt all over. I can't yell, because my throat is killing me. Never mind moving any of my limbs." Kakashi pointed out, absolutely refusing to look like the weak one.

"Is this about Raidou, Kakashi?" Genma asked, kneeling before him once more and moving to pull the pants around his ankles back in to place.

"Yes." Kakashi said it before he could even stop himself. Raidou was going to murder him if he found out.

"Why?" Genma asked, looking very curious and suddenly so very young from where he was kneeling and looking up at Kakashi. "Do you like him? Are you attracted to him? Would it be better if he did you instead of me?"

Kakashi forgot how much of a moronic idiot Genma could be. He didn't know whether he should pick up the IV stand and whack Genma on the head with it or just throw his head back and laugh. "He likes you, Genma."

"Well, of course he does!" Genma exclaimed, shaking his head. "I like him too."

Maybe the deities somewhere were being merciful or maybe Kakashi himself was the blind one, but for the first time since he found out about the duo's stupidity at anything related to affection for each other, he could finally see a ray of hope shining like a beacon. "You _do?_" Even if he tried, Kakashi couldn't hide the excitement from his voice.

"Well, what kind of a best friend would I be if I didn't like him? Do you honestly thing that if I didn't like him, or if he didn't like me, we'd be around each other? Much? At all?" Genma was giving Kakashi a look that said are-you-stupid.

Kakashi wanted to bash his head against the marble floor. "My god! You are the biggest idiot on the face of this planet!"

Genma frowned. "Hey, come on. You don't honestly want me to think that he likes me romantically and in a non-platonic way do you?"

Kakashi simply _looked_ at him and then he watched Genma's eyes go wide and his cheeks turn an interesting color of red. "Finally." Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "So now, calling him your wife wouldn't be too far from the truth. More like, your fiance actually. You guys are practically married to each other. _And_ you argue like a married couple!"

"You're lying." Genma shook his head, reaching out for the bowl of fries he was previously eating on his lap and reclining on the swivel chair. He did nothing with it except stare at the contents.

"I'm not lying, Genma. He does care and like you in _that_ way."

"No, he doesn't."

"He _does_." Kakashi insisted, rolling his eyes. "_Wake up_, Genma."

Genma looked at him with an unreadable expression and Kakashi decided to let the matter go. He wasn't going to get anywhere insisting on something the man found impossible; he will just have to wait and watch nature lead its course. Sighing and shaking his head, Kakashi got up from the couch to find something to eat in the fridge (hopefully Raidou left something).

Kakashi found it irritating that he couldn't even move around much without feeling like he ran five marathons straight. His grip on the IV-stand was getting shakier by the minute by the time he was standing in front the fridge and rummaging through the contents. Much to his chagrin, he couldn't find anything other than some pie that was missing a quarter. He knew that Raidou must have sent the contents of their fridge back to Ibiki's base since the guy must have made too much (or it could be he didn't make _anything_ at all). Grumbling under his breath, he grabbed the pie tray, nudging the fridge shut with his hip. He managed to locate a spork in the drawer and wasted no time in consuming the food he successfully acquired.

The kitchen stool was very uncomfortable and while his back was starting to protest from the forced up right position he was in. His stomach was starting to rumble and Kakashi was not in the mood to pamper his back when he was close to mashing his face in to the pie-tray. Spork in hand, he poked at the filling, watching custard and strawberries fall out in a sticky goop from the sweetened crust. He didn't waste another second and proceeded to shove pie down his throat. He knew _very_ well that his stomach was going to protest later from the large amounts of glucose and he really didn't give a damn. He just wanted to quench his hunger even it means he'll be spending half the day hurling in the toilet and possibly the other half wrestling with a stomach ache.

That and the pie was _really, really_ good.

He allowed his mind to wander while he ate, thinking back to everything Genma just told him. He wondered what Iruka was thinking about in the past few days when he was in his unconscious state. No doubt the younger man must have been shaken but Kakashi knew that it was just the tip of the ice burg. There were lots of people after Naruto and the company and that excluded the little people who went after Naruto for personal revenge. Kakashi - and many others - willingly served Uzumaki Corps. with their free choice and that included the kid. If Iruka was rattled and feared for his own life, Kakashi figured that the guy should back out while it was still early. Although he admitted to himself that Iruka's presence in Naruto's life changes a lot of things (mainly the boy's perspective and that was a positive thing), he didn't want Iruka functioning out of fear and later on grow to hate the boy.

In his heart of hearts though, Kakashi knew that Iruka wasn't that kind of person. The thought alone brought a small smile to his lips as he took another sporkful of pie. He didn't even notice that he was through half of the contents up until Genma walked in to the kitchen, his bowl of fries and honey mustard empty.

"Equipment is on record. My eyes are hurting." Genma mumbled, loading the dirty bowls in to the dishwasher and sitting himself opposite Kakashi, a spork in hand. He wordlessly pulled the pie towards him and helped himself.

"Hey, that's my food." Kakashi pouted. It was a good pie and he wasn't willing to share. He pulled the pie-tray towards him again.

"Share. I'm starving." Genma tugged at the pie tray but got stuck in the middle of the dining-counter. Kakashi holding the tray back.

"You just had a bowl of fries. I haven't eaten in days." The statement was bland and no room for argument.

However, it was in Genma's blood to always find a way to _start_ an argument. "You've been sitting here, trying to finish the pie in two hours. I think you've had enough." He childishly tugged at the pie-tray once more. "Let go."

"No!" Kakashi stubbornly said, holding on to the tray with his bandaged fingers. "It's mine, go get your own."

"Raidou made it for all of us! It's not just _yours!_" Genma hissed.

"I thought you didn't care about Raidou." Kakashi tugged harder, the pie tray refusing to budge.

"Goddamnit, Kakashi! Leave Raidou out of this!" Genma hissed, slamming his other fist against the counter.

"Then let go of the goddamn tray!" Kakashi was in no mood to put up with Genma's stupidity. It wasn't rare for the both of them to be arguing over something so trivial; it happened _all_ the time.

"You aren't even supposed to be eating anything much less a pie!" Genma growled.

"Bite me!"

The sound of keys jingling never did reach Kakashi's ears because the the argument turned to a full pledged tug of war. Kakashi could feel his arms burn from the strain of pulling at the silver pie tray, his flesh digging in to the tray's curved edges. He refused to let go of it, fully intending to finish the pie just to piss Genma off. Kakashi let out a short grunt as he shifted in his seat and started pulling with two hands. The needle of the IV-tube stung as his previously free hand applied more force to the pull. Genma followed his example without even considering the consequences. It was only a few seconds later did the pie tremble as their fingers lost their grip. It was a marvelous arc display of pie crust, custard and strawberries. Kakashi's horrified gaze followed the arc in the air with his jaw wide open. He watched, with a whine dying to rip out of his throat as the ingredients flew and landed on Raidou's dress shirt and face.

Kakashi's tongue was suddenly very still in his mouth.

"You guys, I'd appreciate it if you didn't fight over food. We have a lot and there's enough for everyone." Raidou sighed, reaching up with is free hand to pick the remnant of the pie off the floor to dispose of it properly.

"Genma started it." Kakashi huffed, hiding his bruising hand from view. The needle dug around enough for the pale skin to turn an interesting shade of purple.

"You aren't supposed to be eating, Kakashi. Let alone something like pie." Raidou unrolled some of the kitchen paper towel and started wiping off the custard and strawberry stains off his shirt, face and hair. "And Genma, you know better."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the man sitting across from him, noting the rather eerie silence. If he could, he would have slapped his head silly because Genma wasn't being ridiculously obvious now, not with that blush and scowl on his face.

"Do we have anything else to eat, Raidou?" Kakashi asked, stomach still feeling empty and in need of food to digest.

"There should be," Raidou answered, soft-spoken as always, dark eyes straying towards Genma in puzzlement - he didn't say anything thought. "Let me whip something up that won't upset your stomach."

"Great." Kakashi groaned as he got to his feet. "Call me when you're done, I'll be in the surveillance room."

He left Genma - the moronic silent man - and Raidou by themselves as he partially hobbled to his room first to fetch the cellphone on his nightstand, along with a manila envelope containing his assignment's contacts. Shuffling in to the surveillance room, Kakashi knew that he was about to do the most insane thing (not to mention desperate and impulsive) he could have ever done throughout his career. He emptied the envelope over the table, carelessly brushing aside papers he didn't need till he found the xerox copy of Iruka's curriculum vitae. His single exposed eye surveyed the contents, spotted what he needed and flipped his cell phone open, mechanically entering the number he easily memorized upon first glance. His thumb however, hovered over the green call button of his phone, trembling. Mismatched eyes trailed up to one of the monitors, spotting the small form of the man he knew held a huge chunk of his cold heart and visibly hesitated.

Iruka shifted in his sleep, the book on his belly toppling over to the rug by the couch with a muffled thud. Kakashi didn't know how long he stared at the younger man, tousled from sleep. His thumb pressed the call button and a few seconds later, the phone on the coffee table in Iruka's living room rang shrilly. Kakashi felt apologetic and guilty while chuckling as he watched Iruka jolt up from his sleep and sat up in the couch with wide sleep-crusted eyes, looking around frantically for the noise.

As Iruka went about fumbling for his phone and flipping it open to stare at the unknown number flashing, Kakashi found himself wondering if he was going to take the call. A couple of rings later, Iruka cleared his throat and pressed the answer button.

_"Hello?"_

Kakashi parted his lips to speak, hearing the sleepy voice reminded him of all those times when they were in the same dorm room an he was waking the younger man up for a class or for a doctor's appointment. A longing so strong enveloped Kakashi, squeezing him breathless because no matter how much he denied or how hard he pretended, his friends were right. And he knew they were right. He cared for Iruka and wanted nothing more but to be the most important thing in the man's life.

_"Hello?_"

Kakashi blinked and swallowed, voice low and soft, raspy when he spoke. "Hey." He said, staring at the screen, zooming in on one of the cameras and watching Iruka's wide eyed expression. "It's me."

_"It's late."_

Iruka looked relieved and tense at the same time. The man pressed the phone closer to his ear with both hands, back straightening as he turned to look at the time in the living room clock. Kakashi smiled to himself as he found his eyes swallowing the sight Iruka made on the screen. He was a truly handsome and good looking man with a heart of gold.

"I'm sorry for the late hour. I - I just woke up a few hours ago." Kakashi said, for once he was being honest. Not because of guilt. He simply wanted to be honest this time. "I need to know if you're okay."

_"I'm fine. I'm - I'm fine, Kakashi. I really am. A few bruises isn't going to kill me you know." _

Kakashi closed his eyes at the soft chuckle, lowering himself slowly to the comfortable swivel chair and leaning back. "You didn't get any fractures? I can't really remember what happened -"

_"No, no fractures. Just bruises. You t-took most of the damage Kakashi. Y-You didn't have to. My god Kakashi, why -"_

"I wanted to." He said softly, vulnerable. "Because I want to protect you. I want to protect you as much as I can."

_"Being ordered to do something -_

"No." Kakashi swallowed again, looking up at the screen at the one man that could bring his reality-perception crumbling down. "Not orders. Not then, Iruka. I promised to protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better. Do the bruises still hurt?"

Iruka was biting his lower lip, a hand coming up to cover his eyes and forehead as he bent over and rested his elbow on a knee._ "No, Kakashi. They don't."_

There was a short silence and Kakashi knew better. He smiled fondly, knowing that Iruka was trying to hide things for his benefit. It was always the benefit of others first for the young Umino. "Liar."

There was a shaky sigh and Kakashi knew what the broken tone in Iruka's voice. He confirmed the tears when Iruka pressed the hand on he had on his eyes over his mouth for a few seconds, glassy and red-tear stained eyes coming to view. _"They gave me some painkillers. I am getting better. Yes, some of the bruises hurt when I move, but its nothing serious I am told. Not with the medication they gave me."_

"Iruka -"

_"A-Are you okay?"_

Kakashi parted his lips to say yes, to tell him that he was fine, that he was going to be fine that all was okay in the world. "I - " He paused and felt the truth bleed out from his mouth. "I'm trying to be."

Iruka pressed his hand tighter against his mouth, obviously to muffle the small sound that was threatening to come out. _"I'm sorry -"_

"Iruka? Are you in pain?" Kakashi asked.

_"Yes."_

The answer alarmed him and he moved closer to examine the screen. "Then you should go to a doctor. Your fiance, she wouldn't be pleased to know that you're hurting. I thought you said the doctors said you were fine!"

_"I am not hurt in that way, Kakashi. It's just that ... why did you call? When you must despise me and after all you've done to me and all the things I've done back, why do you try so hard Kakashi? Why do you still follow your orders? Why do you -"_

"Iruka ..."

_"Goddamn you, Kakashi, if you had been -"_

"I do it, because I want to do it and because you mean the world to me."

_"Why are you telling me this now?_ _Why?"_ The sob this time, it wasn't hidden. _"I am so scared, Kakashi! Why -"_

"Because if something happens to me, if something like what happened recently happens again, and I don't make it, I need you to know that I'm not lying. I want - no, I need you to know that I care. That you - Iruka, only you - mean the world to me."

_"God, Kakashi ..."_

"It's so good to hear your voice Iruka. I'm glad you're moving on, I hope that Ayano can be what you need in your life. I want you to know that I sincerely wish you the best. That I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you live to have your own children -"

_"God, stop, Kakashi, please -"_

" - and they'd be great. Because it's you. I hope that she -"

_"Don't say it!"_

" - can be everything for you, everything I failed to be."

_"No! Kakashi, take those words back! I demand you take them back!"_

Kakashi's chest was heavy, not because of the longing he was seeing in Iruka's face, longing that all logic in his mind was telling him was directed to his person. No, Iruka didn't need him in his life. Iruka was much too strong to need his excess and broken baggage to deal with. It was best this way, it should have been this way from the start. He was going to keep his word, he was going to protect Iruka to the best of his ability. For Naruto because the man meant so much. But most of all, for his own sanity because Kakashi doubted that if something bad happened to Iruka, he'd stay intact.

"Things will be okay. I promise. I know classes are going to start soon, so I'll be here if you need anything. You can reach me in this number anytime, anywhere, for anything you need."

_"Kakashi, listen to me. If you care so much, if you fucking care for me like you claim you do -"_

"Iruka -"

_"Damn you Kakashi, damn you for doing this now! Where were you months -"_

"I am in no place to ask, but I can just be your friend now. If not a friend then a colleague."

Kakashi was trying very hard to ignore Iruka's words, to not give in to the hints the man was giving, to the hope that there might be another chance.

_"Kakashi, please listen to me."_

"It's for the best."

_"What do you plan to change or what the hell do you expect by telling me this now?"_

"I don't know. I don't know why I'm being honest with you, but after all that I've done to you, being honest is the least I could do."

_"Why are you always too late with everything?" _

Kakashi brought a hand up to his face and covered his own eyes, not wanting to look at Iruka's pale and scared face, he couldn't stand the look of it, Iruka's pressing voice piercing his very core. Especially at the hope practically acting like a beacon in those expressive and teary brown depths.

"... Because I know no better." His voice cracked. And it was then and there did he finally admit defeat to himself and accepted the very fate he chose when he decided to turn his assignment in to a game.

_"Kakashi, it's different now. It's not going to be like before, it can't be! All that happened and all that you are and the lies ..."_

"I know. I know that well, Iruka." Kakashi bit his lower lip, swallowing thickly and heart clenching so tight that he thought it was cardiac arrest. "But you're all I have left ..."

In the screen, Iruka dropped his phone, the call connection cutting off and broke down for the first time in months.

Kakashi didn't have the heart to watch it. He switched the monitors off and this time, he didn't hit the record button.

TBC

Uhh, okay, I can't remember what notes to put here. But the delay was ... ahahaha. I have no excuse except that I did hit a block so hard. But I managed to squeeze this out in a moment of emo-ness, hence the emo-ness, and well, let's just say I got bit hard by the KakaIru bug.

Errr yeah, I'm gonna go nao.


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: OOC, weirdness, sexual references and foul language, emoz and whatnot. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

Enjoy people! Damn block. Sorry for lateness.

**OFFICEMATE**

Kakashi, more or less, refused to get out of bed the next morning or rather, he refused to leave it once he returned to it. He felt utterly miserable. Earlier that morning, he had gotten up to check on the surveillance screens and found Iruka curled up in bed, sound asleep. A brief zoom-in told him that the man didn't look too good. A year ago, maybe the long hair would have hidden the fact that Iruka wasn't feeling well. With his new short hair, it was easier to tell what the man was feeling with his face and neck more exposed. Seeing Iruka the way he did that morning didn't help in alleviating his mood for the better.

He officially felt like crap.

The only reason he forced himself to get out of bed was because he was supposed to be monitoring Iruka, he was in the middle of a job and slacking around while pitying himself - injured or not - was not going to change that. He had a duty to fulfill and he wasn't what he was if he was going to let something as small as Iruka's tears hinder him useless. It shouldn't have.

_But it does, doesn't it? It hurts you more than a bullet to the side or a bike accident. It hurts you more than you'd like to admit because you know that you committed your first mistake for caring about you target and assignment months ago. You know that putting off studying what -_

Kakashi didn't like where his head was going. Cursing darkly, he made his way back to the next room, limping slightly with his IV-stand and flopped against the reclining chair with a huff. He still hurt all over and he knew that it would take more than a week for all the bruises on his body to disappear completely. Being in the field so long, Kakashi knew that his immunity - while still fairly strong - was also slow. That meant any injuries took time to heal because his physique was always being pummeled one way or the other. If it wasn't a messy sweep-up operation, it was training or some sort of accident.

Iruka was cleaning his kitchen, and Kakashi found himself silently watching how the smaller man scrubbed at the tiles with gusto, the brush slipping off his grip once or twice. A long while must have passed because Kakashi was blankly watching Iruka move from cleaning the kitchen to the bathroom then his bedroom. He wasn't exactly sure how long he remained in his position but when his muscles protested and his body ached more than it should have been, he knew he just fucked himself over twice. It was already mid-afternoon and Iruka wasn't showing any signs of giving up in turning his apartment in to a mirror.

Hitting the record button, Kakashi painfully got back to his feet. The cellphone he had carelessly dumped beside the keyboard was blinking and Kakashi wondered why he never heard the thing beep. Grumbling to himself, he flipped the phone open and read Raidou's message:

_Genma sent away on an assignment. Tenzou is his replacement. He's coming over with Naruto at five. Order a pizza._

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the message, scrolled down and squinted at the time it was received. He had time. The message came in at one. Kakashi glanced at the clock and realized that it was already ten minutes past five.

"Oh, fuck." He sighed and hobbled back to the bedroom to change because Tenzou, if anything, was punctual. Kakashi was just about to grab a clean shirt when the doorbell rang. It was times like these did he wish someone was with him in the house because that way, the person with his hand glued to the damn doorbell would get their finger off it before he snapped it in half.

Bull nudged his bedroom door open with a large paw, dark eyes looking at him with something akin to impatience because the doorbell wouldn't stop ringing. Kakashi was in the process of yelling a 'stop with the fucking doorbell pressing already' when he decided that it wouldn't be right to act like he did in front of Raidou before his student. While Tenzou was quite aware of just how deep his temper ran under all the devil-may-care attitude, Kakashi also decided that the young man didn't need to witness said temper tantrum over something so trivial. The painkillers were probably making him less intolerable to the 'shit' that went on around him. But really, it wasn't like he had a choice. There was a week left till classes officially started and while he wanted no more than to relax and probably sleep the pain of his body away, he knew that Naruto was of utmost importance here.

He needed to do this.

Bull gave a short bark and Kakashi pulled on a sweater instead, with extra long sleeves. They weren't his, he realized. They were Raidou's and the man was exceptionally broader than he was anyway. Yanking the IV tube off the back of his hand - and hissing because that hurt when he was already hurting - Kakashi limped his way to the door, one hand smoothing the messy hair down to cover his scarred eye before opening the door with irritation.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto blinked wide blue eyes up at him, already watery and looking downright terrified.

Whatever temper Kakashi had boiling in him - and possibly with all the dogs behind him looking at their guests with equal irritation - dulled to exasperation and tolerance at the sight of Naruto looking up at him with all the mortification and fear a child his age could muster.

"Senpai." Tenzou greeted, offering what looked like an apologetic glance but otherwise nothing else.

If Naruto was what Ibiki described him to be, then Kakashi was wiling to bet his month's pay that Tenzou probably had no control over what the boy was doing and that Naruto most likely came up with an excuse to keep his finger - yes, it had to be Naruto - glued to the doorbell button. The boy looked his usual, dressed in big shorts and sneakers with the shoelaces still untied, a colorful orange shirt along with his necklace, armbands a jacket that was surely three times his sizes tied around his waist. There was a backpack strapped to his small shoulders and on the said backpack, a bouquet of yarrows, peonies and pink tulips stuck out oddly.

"Tsunade-baba said you were hurt!" He looked at Kakashi with genuine earnest worried eyes. What Kakashi saw though, was pure fear. "Are you okay?"

Tenzou remained silent as Kakashi pulled the door wider. "Come in." He sighed and watched as Naruto tentatively took a step inside, stepped on one of his shoelaces and fell forward. It was only Tenzou's quick reflexes that managed to wrap Naruto by his shirt to prevent his face from connecting with the floor. "Naruto, are you ever going to learn to tie your shoelaces?"

Naruto straightened and toed off his shoes by the door, not really looking at Kakashi but at the litter of dogs looking at him curioulsy. "No ..." He looked up at Kakashi and pointed a finger at the dogs. "Are they yours?"

Tenzou toed off his boots by the door, tugging his suit jacket off and folding it over an arm. Kakashi shook his hand and caught sight of the worried glance Tenzou flicked over his bruised hand. Kakashi pulled away and casually slid his hand in to his pockets, leaving Tenzou to close the door.

"Yep." He nodded, eying the dogs. Some were already wagging their tails and looking at Naruto curiously.

"All of them?" Naruto's eyes were practically twinkling.

Kakashi couldn't stop the smirk from coming to his lips despite his dry tone. "All of them."

"Do they bite?"

"If they feel like it." Kakashi shrugged.

Naruto paused as socked feet cautiously approached the dogs. "Can I touch them?" He asked, blinking wide blue eyes almost in sync with the dogs' curious blinking.

"Don't see why not." Kakashi drawled.

"Senpai ..."

Kakashi shook his head at Tenzou, silently telling him that it was okay, the dogs weren't going to harm Naruto. He watched, with genuine amusement as little hands moved to touch Miira's head, the other patting Bull's forehead. It was a hesitant touch but when the dogs started crowding around Naruto's legs to be petted, Naruto was suddenly laughing with all the excitement of a child his age, kneeling on the floor and petting each and every dog, fingers rubbing their necks.

"They're so cool, Sensei!" Naruto said, absolutely delighted.

"Glad to get your approval." He peered over at Tenzou who was smiling - just like he was - at the sight. Kakashi gestured for the couch and made his way towards it, Tenzou following suit before he slid down gratefully against the plush surface. His body, apparently, couldn't take standing up for long or remaining rigid and 'looking normal'. He pretended to not see it, not really wanting Tenzou harping at his 'well being' and such nonsense. He was fine. He _ached_ but he was fine.

"Oh!" Naruto got up, leaving the dogs and pulling his backpack down, kneeling by the rug as he carefully extracted the bouquet of flowers, little hands smoothing the cellophane and ribbon before he got up and stuck it out towards Kakashi. "Here."

Kakashi eyed the bouquet suspiciously and wondered why exactly was Naruto giving him flowers. "What for?" Really, it felt just a little bit odd accepting flowers from Naruto and while he knew the reason, he couldn't help but tease the boy for a while.

Naruto's brows knitted together as a blush dusted over scarred cheeks. "Just take it!"

Tenzou was already trying to hide his laugh by coughing and pretending that Kakashi's ceiling lights were the most fascinating thing on the planet. Kakashi himself didn't bother to hide the goofy and silly grin. "For me? Oh how sweet of you Naruto!" He chuckled and took the flowers anyway.

"Shut up." Naruto looked away, cheeks puffing and red. "Iruka-sensei suggested it because you were hurt and everything and those are really good flowers you know?"

Kakashi was looking at the flowers but didn't ignore the way his heart drummed to a stop at the mention of Iruka's name. He could already feel Tenzou's dark gaze on him. He had to admit though, they were very nice flowers indeed. Yamanaka chain of floral stores was never something to take lightly; they did produce the best. "Oh? Iruka-sensei?" He asked, fingers lightly touching one of the pink tulips.

Naruto nodded, shifting to sit on one of the single-seat couches and picking up Manju on the way. "Yeah. I never had any of my teachers not resign after an accident." He said, looking at the dog. "I wanted to do something ya' know? And you didn't quit yet so ..."

Kakashi had to admit, that looking at the almost dejected form of the boy who was suddenly so quiet on the couch petting his dog was not something Kakashi wanted to see often. He was reminded of Minato and how ghastly silent he had been during Kushina's death, when he was normally so cheerful and energetic. "Thank you." He said, sincerely, the cellophane wrappers shifting and rustling as he adjusted his hold on the bouquet.

"I didn't know what to get so I asked Iruka-sensei. He's so helpful!" Naruto was grinning up at him, a farce if Kakashi knew one. He could tell from where he was sitting that the grin was a forced one.

"Yeah?" Kakashi nodded, encouraging Naruto to speak. He didn't want the silence.

"Let me put those in water." Tenzou offered and quietly took his leave from the living room, taking the bouquet and disappearing in to the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded, hands rubbing over Manju's belly and continued to grin, talking a mile a minute. "I visited him and Ayano-san - she's so pretty! - three days ago and Ayano-san made ramen for me! And then I told Iruka-sensei about you and he said that flowers was a good thing to give! And Ayano-san had this big book about flowers, and their meanings with pictures and everything, so we looked up stuff to give you! She said she used the book for their wedding planning and there was so much flowers! There was this one that looked like a tiger ..."

Kakashi was sitting there, listening to Naruto innocently retell his story about how he came about the decision to get him - his sensei, Hatake Kakashi - flowers with absolutely no idea how his own words were practically bullets to Kakashi's heart. Kakashi felt his throat constrict, because he didn't know. Iruka and his fiance were already planning the wedding? So soon? _But it's only been a year!_ Kakashi sucked in a shaky breath and tried to focus, tried to think of how thoughtful and such a kind-hearted student he had.

It wasn't working. Even with the reminder of the vow he made to himself the other night that he was going to let Iruka go. With the reminder of how he was moving further and further away, a slap to his soul that there was absolutely no chance for him to claim him back, Kakashi felt like the world's biggest loser.

"... so anyway, Iruka-sensei suggested to give you yarrows! For good health! And peonies for healing!" Naruto beamed proudly. "And then Ayano-san asked if I cared and ... and I do." He looked at the dog on his lap and gave a little shrug. "I mean, you didn't quit yet so I guess you're gonna stick around for a little longer."

Something crossed Kakashi's features, enough for Tenzou - who came out right then to set a vase he found with the flowers on the low table - to look at him in mild alarm. Kakashi knew his temper must have a flashed for a millisecond there and quickly squished it down and plastered on a neutral expression.

"I'm not going anywhere, Naruto. I'm still going to be your teacher."

Naruto looked up at him then, blue eyes searching and looking a tad bit hesitant to readily believe the words. "... really?"

"Yep." Kakashi nodded, pushing a little cheer in to his tones. "You said so yourself. I didn't quit yet so I guess I am sticking around." Naruto had no clue he was working for the company's security and networks long before he was born. The boy was yet to understand the depth of Kakashi's loyalty.

"But you got hurt." Naruto reasoned and right there and then, looked crushed ad hopelessly terrified.

"A minor car-accident. It was raining that night you know?" He offered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"People always get hurt when they stick around me." Naruto offered, with a bit of a small pout. "Ya' know if you back out now, it wouldn't matter. I understand I mean."

"Nah." Kakashi shook his head and caught the almost sullen expression crossing Tenzou's face. "Not going anywhere." He grinned a Naruto, flashing teeth. "I haven't even tortured you yet with my lessons!"

Naruto's cheeks puffed up and he looked away with a sharp 'hmph' but the blush and flash of relief and joy that crossed his features did not go unnoticed to both ANBUs. "I'll kick your butt. You'll see."

"I look forward to it then." Kakashi chuckled and remembered that Raidou mentioned that he had to feed the kid. There was a diner's magazine sitting by the table - he had an inkling that Raidou was responsible for that - that he easily reached out for and flipped towards the pizza section. That was probably the quickest to order and the easiest to clean up later.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, reaching down and picking up Ichi to join Manju on his lap. "Are you okay?"

Kakashi looked up from the magazine, watching Naruto play with the paws of the dogs on his lap while Tenzou knelt by him and was affectionately giving Megane a neck rub. "I'm fine." He gave Naruto a questioning look.

Naruto was looking at him again, searching and trying to feel the lie if there was one. "Do you hurt?"

Tenzou was looking at him again, a silent warning to read with caution. Kakashi was willing to bet that Tsunade pulled threats out that if Naruto came home unhappy, it was going to rain blood. Kakashi weighed the option of lying, just to shut Naruto up. But with the way Naruto was just looking at him, he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his lips. "A bit." He didn't miss the alarming look that crossed Naruto's gaze. "Ah, Naruto, bruises do hurt you know? Like when you practice kendo? You get bruised right?"

Naruto nodded. "You'll get better?"

_No, I don't think so_. "Yes."

"Promise?"

Kakashi smiled, soft and genuine. "Promise."

There was a peaceful sort of silence as Naruto smiled widely and proceeded to play with the dogs some more. "Oh! I forgot to call Iruka-sensei!" Naruto looked up and quickly grabbed his backpack in search for his cellphone. "He sorta' told me I didn't have to but I promised to tell him when I gave you the flowers! I mean," The blonde head disappeared in to the backpack, and Kakashi wondered how the hell did Naruto intend to find his cellphone by sticking his head in to his bag. "at first I told him that giving flowers was so girly! That's something Sakura-chan would do but he said that's what people bring when someone they know ends up in the hospital or something - got it!"

Tenzou ran a hand through his hair. "You know, Naruto, perhaps Iruka-sensei is busy?"

"Nah, he's at home! I know! I called him before I went to the flower shop to get the names written down. And he lives right across the street!" He said and was already searching for the contact number on his phone.

Kakashi didn't know whether to stop Naruto from calling his obviously favorite teacher or to let him be. Part of him didn't want Naruto to call, didn't want to know what Iruka would say or how Naruto would react. Naruto could give his precious Iruka-sensei a call once he was out of Kakashi's roof because Kakashi honestly didn't think now was the right time for him to deal with anything related to Iruka. He was already messed up as it is.

So he tried to distract Naruto and hoped against all hopes that the boy would either forget that he was calling Iruka or Iruka's phone was busy. It was like hoping that the sky would rain gold. "Hey Naruto, you want pizza? I'm going to order us dinner."

"Oh I love pizza! Can we get lots of cheese?" Naruto beamed but showed no signs of hanging up.

Kakashi dared to dream. "Sure. Anything you want. Now, why don't you call Iruka-sensei later and we'll decide whatever it is you -"

"Hi Iruka-sensei!" Naruto perked and grinned at the phone. "Yeah, yeah guess where I am!"

Kakashi wanted to slam the magazine that he had unconsciously rolled against his forehead. Tenzou gave him a slight shrug. "Hey, Naruto ..." Kakashi knew it was a futile attempt because Naruto waved a hand and made shushing gestures because Iruka was apparently supposed to guess where he was. Kakashi would have happily liked to point out that the red SUV parked downstairs was a big sign enough that Naruto was in the building.

"No, Iruka-sensei! I'm at Kakashi-sensei's house! And I gave him the flowers." Naruto said enthusiastically and looked at Kakashi blinking at him. "Yep, yep, nope, yep." Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the way Naruto was conversing with Iruka just as Tenzou gestured towards the magazine lying in a half roll on Kakashi's lap. "No, he's awake! Hey - no! I mean, he opened the door for me! Of course not sensei! I'm not making trouble! I'm sitting on his couch and playing with his dogs! Kakashi-sensei has so many!"

It was getting a bit to stifling for Kakashi. "Naruto ... about the pizza ... " Kakashi tried again, though he knew the point was moot.

"I gave it to him! You're right! He didn't think it was girly. The flowers are in a this big glass vase now!" Naruto was grinning from ear to ear. "Kakashi-sensei? He's right here! Do you wanna talk to him? He's awake! He can talk!" Naruto pulled the phone away and looked at Kakashi, brimming with innocence and looking genuinely happy. "Iruka-sensei wants to talk to you." He said, and Kakashi's lips thinned because Iruka was making an interesting racket on the other end of the phone. "We're having pizza Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said.

"Naruto ..." Kakashi brought a hand up to his forehead. There as no way he could deal with this, there was absolutely no way he was going to be able to face Iruka now and not do something foolish or mean in front of Naruto. Even with the promise he made with himself, there was no guarantee - while still strung upon painkillers and still in some sort of physical pain - that he was going to be one hundred percent civil. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Iruka.

Naruto was not helping things.

"Hey, Naruto, you should probably let Iruka-sensei go now. What about we order that pizza, hmmm?" Tenzou offered, kneeling by Naruto's chair and slowly picking up the dogs off his lap and setting them on the ground.

"Oh okay!" Naruto beamed at Tenzou and returned to Iruka who was still making an interesting racket - what with how he was going 'Naruto! Hey, are you listening to me? Get back on the phone, young man!' - in the other end of the line. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, Yamato-san and I are gonna' go look at the pizzas! Here, say hi to Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stiffened, Tenzou pressed a hand against his forehead just as Naruto leaped out off the couch and handed his very colorful and orange cellphone to Kakashi. Kakashi tossed the diner's magazine over to Tenzou just as he took the cellphone.

"Thanks." Kakashi grumbled and watched with conflicted emotions as Naruto tugged Tenzou towards the kitchen.

"Ne, can we order extra pizza? Iruka-sensei lives just across the street ..." Naruto suddenly looked unsure and peered at Kakashi from under messy blonde bangs.

Kakashi felt himself release a slow and long sigh. "Go choose your pizza, order as many as you want. I'll handle Iruka-sensei." He said and waved Naruto away.

He didn't press the phone to his ear until Naruto disappeared in to the kitchen with Tenzou. He got up, made his way towards the living room window, slid it open and hid behind the curtains. That was when he pressed the phone to his ear. He felt just a little bit let down when he realized that Iruka was still on the line. At the same time, he was glad that the man didn't hang up.

He cleared his throat and looked at the window across the street, the one that he knew was Iruka's living room window. "Hey." He greeted, voice neutral but just a touch softer than his usual drier tones.

_"Hey ..."_

It was almost timid, the way Iruka replied to his short greeting. Kakashi leaned against the stainless steel frame of his window and caught sight of shadows shifting in Iruka's living room. "I'm going to assume you heard all that."

_"I did, yes. Naruto ... he's just a child. He -"_

"It's okay." Kakashi felt his life tug a bit in to a sad smile. "Up to you, you know? Naruto ... expects you for pizza."

_"Ah, Kakashi ... sensei, you know that's going to be a bit ..."_

Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair. "Hard? Awkward? I'm not going to explain it to him, Iruka ... sensei. You do it. I'm not the one who ..." He caught his sarcasm just in time and decided that it'd be wiser if they didn't argue. He didn't want to argue. He was tired of it but every time Iruka would say that he couldn't get any closer, the bastard and asshole in him couldn't resist a jibe to point out that it wasn't exactly his fault.

The silence was longer now. Kakashi watched Iruka's form appear and disappear as he crossed the distance of his living room while pacing, the curtains of his window shifting as he moved back and forth the short distance. Leaning his head against the stainless-steel frame of his now open window, he watched as Iruka leaned his back against his living room window and ran a hand through the short brown locks, pulling at the strands. Hard.

_"I ... I don't know ..."_

"I hardly think pulling at your hair is going to help you come up with a decision, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi said dryly, albeit amused if not a touch melancholic as he watched Iruka drop his hand slowly with caution and stare at the phone in his hand. Before Iruka could even start a tirade about 'how did you know', Kakashi started speaking again. "I can see you from where I'm standing, sensei. I live across the street remember?"

Iruka whipped around and faced the window. Even with the several meters between Kakashi's building and the one right across, Kakashi could still make out every line of Iruka's face, from the wide eyed look to the crease between his eyebrows and the slight frown pull of lips that the knew were soft.

_"Were you spying on me?"_

Kakashi shrugged, knowing Iruka could see action from where he was standing. The window was pulled open as the slender brunette leaned against the window frame as well, expression fairly neutral. _If you only knew._ "Speaking with a window open dulls a child's hearing." He answered coolly. He could hear Naruto listing ingredients that he predicted to be Iruka-sensei's favorite. "Naruto's guessing pizza toppings for Iruka-sensei right now."

_"At least it's not ramen."_

There was a hint of a joke in Iruka's tone and Kakashi felt some of the muscles in his back loosen a bit. "I heard it's his favorite. Wasn't that someone else's favorite too?"

_"... I wonder who that person is."_ It was dry this time, with a touch of humor.

"I wonder." Kakashi gave a little shrug just as Iruka replied with a cock of a slender eyebrow. From the kitchen, Kakashi counted three boxes of large pizza being ordered, one of them having an odd combination of ingredients. "Pizza order is in. Iruka-sensei joining us or should I be making up a story?"

It was a long moment of them staring at each other from across the street, in their respective living room windows, the distance between them a reminder of just how far apart they've grown. In respect to that, it was also a reminder of how close they could be too. Kakashi knew that someone out there was pointing a finger at him and laughing their guts out.

_"I'll change."_ Iruka sighed. _"I'm ... Kakashi, I'm sorry ..."_

"What for?" Kakashi ignored the gaping hole in him and wondered if two simple words of apology would ever be enough to refill it again, or at least give him peace of mind.

_"...a lot of things."_ Iruka said softly. _"... last night, I - I though about you. A lot. And, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry."_

"You have your rights, it was your decision. There is nothing to apologize for."

_"Yes, it was my decision. But now I am going to be intruding in your home once more and - and last time, you weren't ... what I mean to say is, this will probably be more frequent. And the restraining order and court rules ... "_

"It's Naruto. You're doing this for him. Not for me. Remember that." Kakashi said, and swallowed, hating himself for what he was about to say. "I'm doing this for him. Not for you. Not for me. He wanted this, he deserves to be happy. A little drama between adults shouldn't get in the way of that."

The silence was choking.

_"D-Drama, of course."_ Iruka choked a laugh out. _"I'll get dressed. See you in a bit."_

"Yeah. Hey, if you already have dinner plans with your fiance ..." Kakashi wasn't stupid but he had to play his innocent part. He knew that Ayano had an evening shift at the hospital that day and she wasn't going to be at home.

_"No, she's got the evening shift. I'll - I'll see you in a bit."_ There was a brief pause before Iruka closed the line and stared at Kakashi from the window for a long time.

A sad and almost desperate look crossed the brunette's features that Kakashi did not miss. Wordlessly, and almost lingeringly, Iruka turned and disappeared behind a shuffle and whisper of curtain fabric.

Kakashi wondered why he felt like he did something wrong again when he's done nothing but remain civil and polite - no cruelty or anger, just a neutral persona - through out the phone exchange.

XXX

Kakashi wasn't the one who answered door when the doorbell echoed through out the apartment. The pitter patter of socked feet running for the door, followed by the placating tone of Tenzou's voice drifted over Kakashi's head as he busied himself with peeking in to the contents of stacked pizza boxes lying on his coffee table. He didn't need to look up to know that Naruto was turning his beloved Iruka-sensei in to a carnival ride by the foyer or how his dogs were clamoring around the 'familiar brunette' and demanding attention. He could feel Tenzou's stare on the pair as the door was closed and his comrade (and teammate) came to join him on the couch.

Kakashi sucked in a deep breath as Naruto proceeded to drag Iruka towards the vacant single couch, already blabbing about kendo practice as the pair settled down. The dogs went back to their respective napping places around the small living room, remaining close to their owner and his house guests, the three smaller ones remaining by Iruka's feet and not showing signs of moving way anytime soon. Looking at three smaller canines napping comfortably as if they knew Iruka all their lives, it was a painful reminder of what Kakashi once had and could have had. There was something peaceful about the picture that made his lips tickle up in to slight smile. It was also enough to summon forth a tidal wave of bitterness that made him drop his gaze towards pizza boxes instead.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei, this is Yamato-san. He's also a temporary sub-teacher to me. He teaches me self defense." Naruto grinned.

Kakashi watched as Tenzou met Iruka's questioning look evenly with a polite smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Iruka-sensei."

"An ... honor ..." Iruka kept staring at Tenzou even as Naruto helped the man dish out the pizzas in to the disposable plates. Kakashi sat back, took his plate from Naruto with a dry thanks just as Iruka's eyes widened in recognition.

The glare thrown at him - coated with irritation and barely contained malice - was so dark that Tenzou asked Naruto to come help him fetch the glasses from the kitchen and to see what was Iruka's favorite drink. Once they duo were out of earshot, Iruka picked the first thing in his hand and flung it at Kakashi's head.

The plastic knife was easilly caught and set aside.

"_You. Asshole._" Iruka hissed. "... it wasn't just you and Genma or Raidou. You even had the Yamato, the pizza boy on your side?"

Kakashi eyed the man across from his blankly and gave a bit of shrug. "Protocol."

"Who else Kakashi?"

His lungs - still aching from the impact against his chest during the accident - betrayed a slight sigh. "Does it even matter?"

"Was Gai part of it too?"

Kakashi picked up his plate and took a bite off his pizza. "If you're so curious, why don't you hook up with your two other friends and break in to the system? Take a look at things yourself. You did it last time. I hear you're very good with these things."

Iruka stiffened and broiled on his seat, hands fisting against the coffee table. "... you know nothing."

"I know nothing?" Kakashi leaned over and set his plate down. Before Iruka could even back away, a pale and bruised hand gripped the fisted one in a vice, squeezing and pinning it down on the table. "You should watch your mouth."

"And you should watch your hands. One minute you're saying things that make me believe that maybe,_ just maybe_, a part of you back then was real. That maybe it was something I can believe in and actually cherish. But I come here and I see this, this walking lie with his teammate who I honestly thought was just - was just a ..."

His fingers were hurting, the back of his hand was going numb and the bruise was burning like hot fire under his skin. "I wasn't lying."

"All those dates and those dinners and - and the carnival, the - the beach and your dogs and - you knew I wasn't fit to be in a relationship, I told you back then! And then you just - you just went ahead and - you're a monster, Kakashi. Toying with lives for a living does _not_ make you a decent human being!"

Kakashi counted his blessings that Tenzou and Naruto came back carrying their drinks because he honestly couldn't reply to that. He knew he was a monster, for taking hundreds of lives in the line of duty, for lying and using people for the greater good, toying with lives just as Iruka accused. He knew it wasn't a good thing and he wasn't at all proud of his dirty hands. But someone had to do it, and if it meant keeping the Uzumaki legacy in one piece and safe, then he'd gladly turn himself in to the corporate's puppet. It was a small price for what was given to him when he had nothing left but his father's shame. It wasn't a big deal when it was the only way he knew how to live.

However, hearing it come out from Iruka's lips was so painful that his grip went lax. The tanned hand was yanked back and Kakashi casually - or as much as he could manage - picked up a sachet of ketchup and pretended that it was his sole purpose of leaning over the table. Almost immediately, the chatter flowing out of Naruto's mouth started and Kakashi was glad that he didn't have to open his mouth anymore because Naruto took care of whatever tension or awkwardness that may have fallen between himself and Iruka. The numbing cold hurt in his chest didn't go away, not even after the last pizza box was consumed and Tenzou and Iruka were laughing at Naruto's stories. The soldier part of his mind, the one that remembered that he was on an assigment, filed away whatever necessary information he may need from Naruto that may prove useful for later. Kakashi remained eerily silent, mild laughter shaking his frame whenever his 'student' said something amusing. Somewhere in the middle when he subconciously (even eventually) began to relax, he and Iruka would exchange looks and actually laugh together without even noticing that they were.

The evening progressed to more chit-chat as the skies darkened outside, rain starting to fall. They someohow ended up playing poker with the empty soda caps as their chips. Kakashi wasn't exactly sure if Naruto should have been terrible at the game, but after the first two rounds, Kakashi assumed that the boy did indeed spend a little too much time around Tsunade. Only she could turn a sore loser to a pro when it came to gambling. Naruto played like a natural pro that it even surprised Iruka and Tenzou.

It wasn't till Naruto started to yawn did Tenzou actually shift from his seat and nudged Kakashi by the elbow. "We better get going."

"Yes." Kakashi glanced at the window between the parted curtains. It was pouring outside.

"Naruto, we should get you home now." Tenzou set his cards down, revealing a royal flush that made him own this particular game round.

"Ehhhh, but I'm not sleepy yet." Naruto protested and yawned as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Come on Naruto, you probably have a long day tomorrow. Let's get your shoes." Iruka set his cards down and ushered the boy towards the foyer, soft encouraging words that Naruto merely nodded to echoing down the hall.

"Senpai? Are you okay?" Tenzou asked, putting all the trash in to a plastic bag to dispose of it on the way out.

"Fine." Kakashi brought a hand up to his scarred eyelid, headache pulsing behind the red iris. "Just tired I guess. Painkillers."

"Naruto insisted to visit." Tenzou sounded apologetic. "He was worried about you."

"I appreciate the little bugger for coming. I do." _I just wasn't expecting the Iruka part of the entire deal._ "You guys have backup right?"

Tenzou nodded. "We won't be heading back alone. Necessary precautions are being taken after your accident, Senpai."

"Good." Kakashi stood up and shoved his hands in to his pockets. The bruised one was numb by now. Tenzou knew what to do; Kakashi trusted his junior because if anything, the man followed Kakashi's ways of doing things by the book.

"Do you want me to walk Iruka-sensei home?"

It was a casual question and yet Kakashi felt his throat go dry. "Up to him." He made his way to the door to see Naruto off, the little boy already nodding off and rubbing a sleepy eye. "Safe trip home, Naruto."

"Mnn. I'll see ya' ne, Kakashi-sensei?" The backpack slid over small shoulders as blue eyes turned to look up at Kakashi.

"Of course." Kakashi nodded and watched as Tenzou got his shoes on and picked up the boy with one arm, the other hand taking the plastic bag of empty pizza boxes and soda bottles.

"Bye, 'Ruka-sensei." Naruto waved sleepily from where his chin was pillowed on Tenzou's shoulder, already falling half asleep.

Once the pair left the door step of his apartment, Kakashi abandoned Iruka - who was still smiling and waving at Naruto - and moved to stand by the window, eying the SUV parked on the empty parking slot. A glance on either side of the street alerted him of the back up that was there to keep watch on anything suspicious that may have lurked around the area or Naruto's transportation vehicle. As Tenzou's head appeared and an umbrella was held out by one of the guards on standby with the driver, Kakashi watched them board the car and the vehicle pull out of the parking slot. The back up vehicles followed suit a few seconds after the red SUV disappeared down main street.

"Do you need anything, Kakashi?"

"Why are you still here?" He answered with a question, no malice this time, just resignation.

"I'm sorry for earlier. That was ... impolite and inconsiderate." The click of the front door closing made Kakashi cringe.

"Don't say things you don't mean." Kakashi sighed, shoulders slumping and still not daring to turn and face the man.

"Will you look at me when I'm talking to you?" Iruka asked, mild rage in his voice.

"Why? So you can aim acid better?"

"Kakashi, I want this to work! I want us to be better! Naruto, he just -"

"Us?" Kakashi turned, a mockery of a confused expression on his face. "What _us_, Iruka? There is no us. You made sure of that!"

"I am sorry!" Iruka's hands fisted against the sleeves of his sweater in frustration. "I didn't exactly think we'd be working together let alone see each other again."

"Tough luck. World doesn't function the way you want it to be." Kakashi grumbled darkly and turned to walk in to the kitchen. He needed a drink. He was in no firm state of mind to handle things smoothly.

"Even if it did work out and I never found out about your assignment," Iruka followed him to the kitchen. "what difference would it have made? What would you have done after acquiring sufficient information from me for you assignement? What would you have done differently?"

If it was hope in Iruka's tone, Kakashi didn't register it. Old wounds were being picked on with a rusty knife and he wasn't exactly feeling very happy about it. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you filed a fuck-off-Kakashi at the courthouse."

"You know something? I don't get you. A few nights ago, you call me and you speak to me like you did back then, and - and I want to believe you and now here you are acting like a complete cold rod. Did they teach you that in messing-people's-lives-101? Or is this just Hatake Kakashi speaking?"

Kakashi slammed his fists down the kitchen island, glaring at Iruka who was standing on the other side and who more or less started at the violent reaction. "Nothing I say is going to make you listen. And in case you're forgetting something, you're in my apartment. Not the other way around. Who's violating things now?"

"What would you have done differently, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, a flash of desperation in his eyes that Kakashi tried to ignore.

"Goddamnit, Iruka. Get the fuck out of my apartment."

"_What would have been differently_?" Iruka repeated, looking up at him with an open gaze that made Kakashi falter in his rising temper. "Would you have forgotten about me? Would you have killed me if I wasn't what you needed me to be?" Warm irises reflected the grief that never quite left him all those months ago, giving Kakashi a clear view of just what the shorter man went through. "And if I turned out to be okay, would you have _left _me anyway?"

Kakashi wasn't exactly sure how to answer and he took too long to form words. Because he watched as genuine and undiluted regret and crushing hope reflect briefly over the surfaces of Iruka's gaze as the man smiled at him brokenly, turning away silently and heading for the foyer to get his shoes. Kakashi couldn't form words and it wasn't because he didn't know _how_ to form them. He just didn't know _what_ to say. He never thought that far ahead back then. Sliding down kitchen tile wall, he pressed the heel of his pruised palm against his red eye.

_What would have you done differently_, he asked himself.

Hours that turned to days passed and his mind still hit a blank.

XXX

The sharp vibrating sound of his new cellphone moving against the smooth wooden tables startled Kakashi awake from where he had fallen asleep in the surveillance room. A sleepy glance at the wall clock told him that it was ten-thirthy in the morning. He didn't remember falling asleep and quick glance at the monitors showed him that Iruka and his fiance was sitting beside each other in their small dining room, going through books and magazines on what seemed to be flower and fabric arrangement.

Kakashi sleepily got up and stretched the aching muscles of his back and neck as he clumsily felt for the insistently ringing cellphone. Raidou's call better be something important

"What?"

_"Turn on the news. You're not going to believe this."_

Kakashi groaned as he made his way back to his living room and flicked the news channel on, turning the volume up as the 'breaking news' came to focus in his sleep-deprived mind. The Uzumaki Corps. towers were surrounded by special ops armed in glass shields, helmets and flak jackets while a mob of protestors carrying signboards with phrases like 'equal oppurtunity' and 'fair trade to all generations' blocked the main streets and covered the entire parking lot and front entrance of the building. The protesting crowd was a mix between young and old, parents and graduates, employees and some were even younger students, clearly looking unhappy, if not angry.

"What the hell is this? When did this start?" Kakashi slowly lowered himself on the couch as focused on the news.

_"A little over an hour ago. It's not good Kakashi. There's a petition officially being filed to the court and some of the managing parties involved are not happy with that children's program. Something about not being equal and playing favorites to only those involved in supporting Uzumaki Corps."_

"That's bullshit." Kakashi scowled at the television screen. "Those kids went through some tests and got those posts of their own effort! Everyone knows that!"

_"Yes, but Kakashi, Naruto wasn't exactly above average."_

There was a loud crash from the other side of the line as Raidou promptly started cursing accompanied by shuffling sounds. "He was the highest amongst the 'average' crowd Raidou, cut the boy some slack."

_"You know that, I know that, everyone in the company knows that. We're not sure how this started. There wasn't anything in the radar or one of our watchers would have picked up on it. Thing is - damnit - they're arguing that the program is meant to be for kids who are above average. Naruto, as far as they're concerned, is an average student."_

"How would they even know of classified data." Kakashi brought a hand to his temple and rubbed the tell-tale signs of an upcoming headache. "Nevermind. Don't answer that. This is just something against Naruto and company."

_"If things don't settle down, they're going to cancel the program."_

Kakashi tried not to think how much this entire mess was going to hurt the innocent boy who knew nothing as to why people out there still despised him and the title of his company. There were alot of corruption going around and envy ran deep. Kakashi knew that Naruto was looking forward to the entire program, all the other kids were.

"Have they reached a decision yet?"

_"Tsunade is in the courhouse arguing the case. There's a meeting for the employees working under the program, that's why I called. You're going to have to bring Iruka with you. You better get moving."_

Kakashi slid his eyes shut and gripped his hair tight. "Where are we going to meet?"

_"Towers. Pent house. The others are making their way here already. I'll alert the guards to keep an eye out for you and Iruka."_

Kakashi got to his feet and snapped his cellphone shut. Fifteen minutes later, he was standing in front of Iruka's door and ringing the door bell. It was just his luck that Iruka was the one who answered the door, looking at him with a bewildered gaze.

"Get dressed." Kakashi said flatly. "I'll wait for you downstairs. It's important."

TBC

AUGH, this chapter was torture to write. The entire story had to undergo some major replanning in terms of chains-of-events. But yes, this should be going ... uhm, okay for now.

Now I wish I wasn't so distracted to finish this story already. Efffff.


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: OOC, weirdness, sexual references and foul language, emoz and whatnot. Any misspellings or wrong grammar is unintentional. I am my own beta. I could have missed some stuff.

Unbetaed. Untouched. Un-everything IDEK. I found this in my harddrive and it's been fucking YEARS since I even touched this story. Not gonna lie folks, I have NO IDEA where it is going, let alone remember where it was supposed to go orzzzz. I'm rereading the stories (and cringing) this very moment and I'm going to see if I can try to get back in to it and to at least wrap up the saga of this doramu~ TRY being the keyword... huffpuff...

**OFFICEMATE**

Kakashi leaned back against the smooth contours of his new car's leather seat, arm resting on the door handle. It was a different car this time, sleek monaco blue, with enough horsepower to leave the road blazing if he was in a hurry. Kakashi will admitted that perhaps this particular shade of blue that reminded him of his old motorcycle and made him a bit comfortable about having to use this particular car. Leather interiors, metallic rims and tinted glasses, the company really did spoil him with materialistic things.

Then again not many would actually stay with the company - loyal or not - after going through an accident on behalf of the company's heir. It was their way of saying thanks and the least they could do since Kakashi had all but sacrificed a lot on the company's behalf, both for their benefit and safety.

Kakashi still believed a motorbike would have cost way less than the car and would have made him happier.

He wasn't exactly sure what went through his mind when he all but abused Iruka's front-door doorbell, but a row with the courts about defying his restraining order was the least of his problems right now. Kakashi knew the kids in the special training program were going to be very disappointed because those kids worked hard and were looking forward to it. It was only a selected few who made it through the program, but they deserved it and Kakashi knew the other instructors must have been looking forward to teaching the young ones too.

The protest was not going to look good for the company. If anything, it would damage business relations with foreign companies and quite possibly ruin their markets. Kakashi knew such things would usually lead to boycotting and that was the last thing Uzumaki Corps. would want. Envy was a marvelous thing when fueled. Kakashi was just surprised that the protest began two days before the special classes officially started. In a way, it made sense why Raidou sounded so puzzled if not frustrated on the phone.

A knock against the passenger seat's window made Kakashi raise his head from where it was resting against his seat's headrest. He reached forward and unlocked the door, said door pulled open further by the brunette who was standing there eying the smooth paint job and the car's rims with a bit of a slack-jawed expression. Kakashi watched the shorter man ogle at his ride for a while before turning the engine back on and switching the flashers off. Iruka slid in to the passenger seat hesitatingly, closing the door and taking a moment to also admire the car's interior.

"Nice car", he absently praised, staring at the dials and meters on the dashboard as he pulled the seat belt on. Kakashi only spared him a hum for a reply as he released the hand brake and pulled out of the parking slot, picking the shortest route to the Uzumaki Towers.

The traffic was unbelievable. When Kakashi drove past the cross roads, he caught sight of the other two sides of the street which were also jammed with impatient motorists. They had been stuck on the same street for the past twenty minutes and the traffic was showing no signs of letting up. Normally, this particular road was empty and flowed freely since it wasn't connected to the highway. But if the protests were getting more out of hand, then the traffic jam was inevitable.

"I hope you don't have plans for lunch. This is going to take a while." Kakashi sighed, regretting not grabbing that cup of coffee before leaving or anything edible that would calm his aching stomach.

"What's going on?" Iruka asked, hesitant after a short moment of silence. "Ayano turned the news on before I left ..."

"A protest. That's what's going on." Kakashi rubbed his temple and moved his car a good two feet in front as soon as space became available. "Not everyone is happy with the special program, sensei."

"That's ... but the kids and the employees ..."

"If this goes bad, then yeah, you're pretty much jobless." Kakashi turned to look at Iruka to punctuate his dry answer; the prospect of Iruka being a possible target by an angry mob was left for later. He watched the blush dust over the scar and tanned cheeks, making the man in the black suit look even more remarkable; the dark red tie knotted in a perfect triangle holding the white dress shirt's collar in place. He knew Iruka simply followed his lead because Kakashi himself was in a black suit and a gray tie; if he had worn a pair of jeans and a sweater, no doubt Iruka would have picked something casual instead of what he donned right now.

"It's not that!"

"You have every right to be angry." Kakashi turned to lean a bit on his side of the door. "Hell, you should be. It's every teacher's dream to be a part of an internship and special program like this one." The tone softened and as fingers tapped against the stirring wheel, eyes remaining focused on the plate number of the vehicle in front of his own. "It's what you worked hard for, isn't it?"

The silence that swallowed the car was stifling but Kakashi spared it little of his attention. The traffic was eventually moving. Kakashi would have gone on foot but they were too far from the towers to even make it on foot.

"Kakashi, are things really going to be okay? For Naruto and the other children? I know they worked hard for it and fought for their seats in this internship but ..."

"We'll find out won't we?" Kakashi drawled. "I don't know about the other children, but this shouldn't be new to Naruto. The boy is used to being abandoned by his instructors or having his classes or training canceled due to unforeseen events."

"That's very cold of you. You know damn well that Naruto deserves better than words like that!" Iruka was defensive of the boy, that much Kakashi knew but it was not fair to throw accusations at him that way.

"Hey, I chose to stay, even after losing a lot, being in a accident that was meant to be for him by the way, and dealing with you." Kakashi looked at Iruka with his eyebrows knitted. "Believe me, I have more right to walk out of this than anyone else, but I haven't have I?"

"Kakashi ..."

"Let's get one thing straight Iruka." He said, honesty and bluntness in his tone. "I am here because I swore to myself that I'd protect that boy and everything around him till my last breath." Kakashi was staring at the pair of wide brown eyes, taken by the honesty in Kakashi's expression and the soft (if not blunt) tone. "It's my duty, and my desire. Don't question my loyalty, Iruka. You know nothing about me or how much that boy means to me."

"I didn't mean it that way ..."

"Yeah. Right." Kakashi knew that in Iruka's eyes, he was lower than dirt, unworthy of any attention or good treatment. His mind would go and think back to those days when he lost himself in Iruka's touches, his smiles and honest words of praise, where he felt wanted and actually human instead of a man with an assignment and he couldn't help but wish he'd be able to feel that once more. If it wasn't Iruka's affection, then his kindness and undiluted goodwill was more than enough. At least that way, he could pretend he wasn't that much of a horrible monster. "I ... I just wish you'd give me a little credit because I don't think I'm that much of a heartless person."

Iruka was as stiff as a board beside him, not saying anything for a long while, tanned fingers fisting till his knuckles turned white. Kakashi kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to turn and see the look on Iruka's face. He didn't mean for those last few words to come out but he meant it all the same.

"I'm sorry." Iruka shook his head, running a hand through the short strands. "I meant no offense. Just that, this whole thing and this arrangement ..."

Kakashi felt old and worn out, having slept in a very uncomfortable and almost pretzel-like position in the surveillance room earlier was taxing on his frame. The lack of sleep was also adding to the strain and a migraine was starting to pulse behind his eyes. Kakashi leaned back against the head rest, closing his eyes briefly. "Just bear with things for a little while."

He only meant to close his eyes and ease the painful strain on his irises for a few minutes. The traffic still wasn't moving, the honking of cars and arguing drivers dulling to a faint hum in the background. There was mild relief as his body gradually relaxed in the warm chair, a deep exhaling sigh emptying the air in his lungs. It was only much later - or what felt like much later - when a hand pressed against the forearm connected to the hand holding the base of the steering wheel did Kakashi blink his eyes open and the shrill ringing of his cellphone finally registered.

"Kakashi? Are you okay?" Iruka asked, fingers warm against the fabric weave of his black suit, the smaller frame turned and facing Kakashi completely. Kakashi did the stupid thing and turned to the call of his name in a reflex reaction. The impact of those warm and concerned brown eyes solely focused on him rattled him and for a moment, he stared at Iruka dumbly before blinking and looking away.

"Fine." He shifted, hesitatingly pulling his hand away from Iruka's hold and picking up the cellphone from the holder by the gears. "Yeah?"

_"Either you're arguing again or you're seriously looking to be royally fucked by the courts. Is something wrong?"_

"No, nothing." Kakashi resisted the urge to rub his temples. "We're still stuck in traffic."

_"I know, which is why someone is supposed to be coming to you in a few minutes. I sent the coordinates of your phone position to him already."_

Kakashi had an inkling of what Raidou had in mind. "Any good on your side?"

_"Looking out the window, not really. I think the crowd is bigger now."_

"Brilliant." Kakashi groaned.

_"Stay alert. And keep Iruka safe."_

Kakashi paused for a long while. "You know I would." _No matter what_.

_"A reminder here and there wouldn't hurt. I'll see you when you get here."_

Kakashi would have rolled his eyes at the teasing tone Raidou used but said nothing as he hung up the phone and slipped it in to the inner pocket of his jacket. "Good news." He said, craning his neck a bit to get rid of the painful cramp developing, easing back to his seat and ticking away the minutes. "We'll be dodging traffic."

Iruka blinked at him, head tilting from where he was folded almost comfortably in the passenger's seat. "How? No one is exactly moving for the past forty minutes."

A knock on Iruka's window made the man jump and turn to meet a man crouched against a black and yellow race motorbike, a gloved hand waving. "That's how." Kakashi, unbuckled his seat belt and pushed the door open. "Come on, different ride."

Kakashi rounded the car and shook hands with Shimon - one of Ibiki's men - who handed him the helmet easily and slipped off the spare from his backpack. "With compliments from our division." Shimon smirked.

"Shimon, Iruka. Iruka, Shimon. A colleague." Kakashi did a half hearted introduction as he got on the bike and proceeded to slip the helmet over his head. He left Iruka to exchange pleasantries with the younger man, ignoring the polite speech as he admired the dials and machine's specs of the bike. It wasn't as good as his own bike, but a bike was a bike. Kakashi was more than happy to ditch the car for a bike anytime.

"Good luck." Shimon waved and moved to take his position by the stirring wheel of Kakashi's car.

"What exactly are you going to do, drive on the side walk?" Iruka asked, eying the seat behind Kakashi.

Kakashi merely pushed the helmet towards Iruka and started the engine of the bike once more. "Why ask questions when you already know the answers? I know we've been apart for a year, but really, you already forgot how I handle a bike?"

"Idiot." Iruka's voice was muffled by the helmet as he got on the bike. There was a moment of awkwardness that Kakashi felt radiating against his back. He felt Iruka's hesitation more than anything.

"Hold on tight, Iruka. Don't tell me you forgot how to do that too?"

"You're really an idiot." The frown was heard through the muffled voice and Kakashi couldn't keep the quiet laughter from shaking his frame.

Sinewy arms wrapped around his middle, tanned hands resting against his stomach. It was easy and almost comfortable, a phantom reminder of those days when Kakashi relaxed completely into Iruka's 'safety hold' on him whenever they went out for their 'dates'. It was reflex that made Kakashi reach up for the hand pressed against him, guiding it higher to his chest so that hunching over wasn't going to hinder him in maneuvering the bike. Iruka's hand was as warm as he could remember, small and fitted perfectly in his.

"Hold on tight." He said softly. The frame pressing closer against him as he kicked the bike forward was the best sensation Kakashi felt in a long, long time.

In those precious few minutes of drifting against traffic (and actually getting on the side walk sometimes), Kakashi pretended that the world was okay and that he didn't go through the painful heart break nor was he suffering from its after effects. In those precious few minutes, he smiled under the tinted visors and pretended that everything was just like they used to be and that he was _happy_.

XXX

Kakashi's bike took a long turn around the compound, bypassing the large gathering of protestants that not even the specialized officers Ibiki put around the building could fend off properly. It was a task to hold off the angry mob who were agitated enough for not getting a reaction regarding the matter that was their children's education. Konoha High was distributed in many districts of the Fire Country and to have such a crowd coming from all over the country to gather at just one point, Kakashi found it hard to even find a way to slip through them with out gathering attention. Twice he circled the compound and he couldn't find a way to get in without putting Iruka in harm's way. Firemen were already armed and ready to hose down in case the mob really got out of hand but for now pushing back with fiber-glass shields seemed to suffice. The building entrances weren't the only way in to the office towers, but Kakashi knew better than to act on his own and use the 'alternate routes' reserved for emergency purposes only with Iruka when he was already walking on very thin ice with the man. While Uzumaki Corps. were very influential, they were not the government or the high courts.

The cell phone in his pocket vibrated and Kakashi let it be - know that he was being watched anyway - and moved to park the bike near the cafe that catered to the employees of the tower. The phone started to ring again and Kakashi pulled his helmet off to take the call.

"Yeah?"

_"Go to the west entrance of tower three."_ Raidou's voice was tired and Kakashi could feel the irritation projecting from the ear piece. _"Ibiki's boys are clearing enough of an entrance for the both of you."_

Kakashi craned his neck over Iruka's shoulder, noticing how some of the large crowd was already being separated forcefully. It was causing an uproar and the compound was starting to fill with more indignant cries. Taking Iruka through that was going to be quite risky and Kakashi preferred not to take any chances. "There's another way ..."

_"No! You can't. He's not supposed to know of that. I already suggested it earlier to Tsunade-sama, she refused."_

Kakashi felt his temper rise and fall, sheer will forcing it to fall because he had to focus on the task at hand. He wasn't exactly sure if being armed was a good thing or not at this point. "Fine." His voice dripped with ice, as he snapped the phone shut. "Come on. We're taking a walk."

"Walk?" Iruka scampered off the bike, following Kakashi in to the small cafe and watched the clearly pissed off man.

It was like watching an agitated dog owner yank the leash of his pet around - except Iruka wasn't really Kakashi's pet (no matter how much he wished for that since it was part of personal fantasy). Instead, Kakashi ignored Iruka's questions and conversed rather tersely with the quibbling counter staff of the cafe (and glaring to the point that boiling water would freeze), looking like someone was just ignoring a maid or nanny's plea. There were no patrons in the cafe and Kakashi could care less if the girl in charge of packing lattes thought that him holding his hand up rather rudely for Iruka shut up was bad. It took a lot of convincing but once he was done, he was able to borrow a pair of head caps.

Wordlessly, Kakashi took Iruka's hand and tugged him outside towards the corner of the cafe and started to undo the first few buttons of the suit jacket Iruka had over his button down shirt and jeans, dodging the tanned hands that were swatting at his own. "Listen, we're going to be -"

"Kakashi! What the hell -"

"Hold still damnit!"

"No! What the hell are you doing? Hey!"

Kakashi grabbed Iruka's wrists and pinned them to the sides of his head against the wall, fully taking advantage of his larger, sturdier built and strength to over power the man. "Listen!" He snapped, knuckles pale. The cell phone in his pocket was vibrating and it wasn't showing any signs of stopping. "Look, just - please listen to me, okay?"

Iruka was flushed and beyond livid, lips pulled to a taut line and dark brows narrowed. There was a coiling fire of negative emotions swirling in the brown gaze that held Kakashi's senses captive. "Then let me go."

He had to blink and look away from the undiluted anger that was unleashed on him. A shiver trickled down his spine at the venomous tone Iruka directed at him but he argued that he deserved it. He truly deserved what Iruka was dishing out on him because he knew better than to have treated him the way he did. Kakashi locked mismatched eyes on Iruka's stormy gaze before pale and slender fingers released Iruka's wrist. Kakashi wasn't sure where the sick pleasure of seeing his finger imprints on the tanned skin came from, but it was there, coiling like an ugly green snake in his chest.

"I need your arm." He said, slipping the head cap over Iruka's head and reaching to pull a small metallic syringe from his jacket's inner pockets. "This is a microchip. I am going to inject it in to your arm, just within the first layer or skin. In case -"

"In case what?" Iruka was eying the syringe like a startled cat; Kakashi didn't really blame him because the syringe looked like something out of a horror movie than a hospital.

Kakashi couldn't stop the chuckle. "It's for security purposes." He said, and made slow deliberate movements to show Iruka the small capsule-shaped chip before uncapping the needle as well. "Iruka you have to be aware that being part of this job and being close to Naruto makes you an open target."

"I -"

"This," Kakashi gestured to the syringe. "in case something happens to you, will let us know your exact location."

"_You're watching me?_"

"Yes." He didn't lie. He couldn't lie now.

"But - _why_?" Iruka was shaking, fingers coiling around the collar of Kakashi's suit jacket, shaking the man, demanding for an answer.

Kakashi let him of course, he nearly always did. Iruka's anger wasn't misplaced and somewhere in the back of his mind, Kakashi realized that if Iruka hit him then and there, he'd probably let him. "Protection." He said softly, against what however, he kept to himself. Kakashi was aware of the dangers associated by being too close to Naruto. A lot of the people showed open hostility towards anyone who did get close to blonde because none had the guts to stand up against a tycoon like Tsunade or even Jiraiya. Because people had no chance to doubt a pair that was already balanced in handling a corporate giant like Uzumaki Corps, they turned their hostility towards one so defenseless. Envy and bitterness clearly chose no victim.

Iruka shook his head, as if denying reality and the words exchanged as the hand loosened against the fabric of Kakashi's jacket collar. "Even a year after ..."

Hesitating - he always hesitated around Iruka now - and careful, Kakashi took the wrist of Iruka's left hand and and moved him to crouch on the ground. "Protection, Iruka. To keep you safe. You have an entire life ahead of you and Uzumaki Corps takes care of their employees. They ensure those who directly handle the next heir isn't harmed. In any way." Kakashi gently eased Iruka's arm out of the dark sleeve, stretching the tender flesh on the back of elbows uncapping the needle. He would be a liar if he said that Iruka allowing him to do as he pleased didn't surprise him.

Just before the needle was pushed against the warm flesh, Kakashi's limbs turned to ice and his entire being was plummeted in to a vacuum. Iruka's voice was so soft that he would have missed it if he wasn't as close as he currently was to the man.

"Did heartbreak not fall under protection, Kakashi?"

Kakashi chose silence as he pushed the needle in to Iruka's arm and set the chip in place.

XXX

His boots crunched under the asphalt road, pale fingers tightly clasping tanned ones as Kakashi made his way towards the visible line of transparent shields who were struggling to maintain the narrow opening for them to pass through to get to the doors. He didn't even think as he pulled Iruka closer to him, adopting a protective position with the man nearly tucked against him and hiding his face from the crowd. The dark uniformed ops struggled as the people got fired up in seeing a pair of men entering the buildings, shouts of 'what about our children', 'you're letting them in!', 'we want answers' and 'how long are you going to ignore this matter' erupted like from their lips like molten lava from a volcano. Kakashi's grip tightened against Iruka, moving to duck when one of the guards was pushed down behind them.

Urgency urged Kakashi and he quickened their pace to a run, practically dragging Iruka with him instead of just guiding him. The noise around him got louder and he cursed, keeping his head low. The cap over his own head was knocked back as someone threw the sign board they were holding his direction; he barely made it in time to duck but the damage was done. Silver hair was hardly something anyone would easily forget.

Ibiki's men broke out on an all out fight to keep the people's hands from harming the both of them. Kakashi was nearing the entrance, already so close that it would take just a few more steps and they were safe. Luck was never good to Kakashi, his life was nearly always about rotten luck. The waning line Ibiki's men somewhat managed to maintain collapsed and Kakashi felt the force of the riot knock him forward. The fabric of his denims ripped as he skidded across the cobblestone pathway leading to the entrance, somewhat managing to land on his side just as his shoulders touched the cool surface of the glass doors. It took two seconds for him to register that the warm weight of Iruka against his side was gone and just a fraction of another second to find Iruka being dragged away by the crowd, struggling and fighting back to get free.

The noise dulled to a thick silence as Kakashi's feet picked themselves off the ground and he was suddenly following Iruka, reaching out for him. He could feel the rage packing heat in his chest like hot iron, red and blazing. He went over people, felt several limbs grind under his boots, hands hitting him in an attempt to stop him or contain him; he didn't care. His fury rolled off him like the black flames of hell because he vowed to himself that he'd keep Iruka safe, one way or the other. The man's pained cries, the twisted facial muscles that mirrored his horror and panic was enough to make Kakashi lash out. Iruka was getting further and further away, the feeling of failure already descending upon Kakashi like a pile of bricks. He felt his throat rip from the sheer desperation of failing and letting Iruka down once more.

_"Let him go!" _

Kakashi was only briefly aware of his arms escaping his suit jacket and someone's terrifying scream as he stepped over someone's back, plunging forward like a solider reaching for home's soil. He managed to grab a hold of Iruka's jacket, amidst the hundreds of people trying to hold him back. He refused to let go, and pulled harder at Iruka's weight that his still tender side _ached_from the effort. It was instinct when a fist came flying in Iruka's direction that Kakashi threw his weight over the man, toppling their weight to the ground, taking the hit. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he recalled that he just got those new porcelain implants.

Iruka's scream was in his hear, and he wasn't exactly sure why the man was looking at him like he was some sort of monster before the cold spray of water rained down on them and the weight of the agitated crowd disappeared off his back.

_"Kakashi!"_

"Dumb fuck, get up! Get up!"

Kakashi blinked once, twice, and training kicked in and he hauled himself off the ground, picking Iruka up with him and turned, drenched and cold to find Raidou and Tenzou waving at them to get through the doors. Kakashi's perception was still muted, not hearing anything except of his own drumming heart beat and the faint cries of his comrades urging them to hurry up before the crowd gathered enough wits and the hosing was rendered useless. His world was tilting back and forth like a rocking ship in a thunderstorm and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Iruka was looking so terrified, even after they made it through the doors and past the lobby towards the elevators.

Iruka was fine, he realized. Drenched, cold, a bit dirty and white as paper but _fine_. Kakashi found no blood or swelling or any bruising on the man.

"_What?_" He snapped at the slightly shorter man, causing Iruka to jerk back at the sudden question. He was angry, Kakashi was rarely this angry but his hands were shaking from the rage, chest heaving as he struggled to breathe and somehow remain under control but he couldn't. He was angry at himself for not listening to his instincts, for not taking the alternate route in getting Iruka in to the building, for exposing him to such a danger when it could have been avoided. _Damn Tsunade and her fucking orders to hell_, he thought.

"Hold still."

Raidou's hands were on his face, fussing with something or the other, the man's voice barely registering in is haze of molten wrath. He was barely aware of the prickling sensation and the towel dropped to hang over his head. It was not the time to think of such things.

His weight was hauled off the elevator floor - Kakashi wasn't exactly sure how he ended up sitting on the floor while Raidou fussed with something on his face - by his scarred comrade, Raidou's arm firmly around his shoulder as the halogen lights glared down at him, their feet making wet squelching noises against the polished marble floors of the pent house office. Kakashi stepped in to the the conference room packed with the staff and higher ups, waiting for his appearance - late as always - and their newly hired member of the Uzumaki Corps. family. There was a camera set up waiting to be used. The scene was familiar to Kakashi, as he recalled that back then, he had been a little shorter, a little brittle around the bones and half blind. Back then, instead of Tsunade's figure sitting behind the head's desk, it had been a young man with a messy thatch of blonde spikes and a shit-eater-grin that just made people want to grin right back.

"Now that we're all here," Tsunade began, not even waiting for Kakashi or those who accompanied him to sit down. "it's time for all of you to know that Uzumaki Corps. will maintain the special program. However, with what's going on outside, accusations that results were tampered with are being thrown against us and this may result in a repeated revision of the candidates' results."

"My son - and many others in this room - does not need any sort of fake transcriptions to pass."

"That has not escaped us, Shikaku. None of the children in the program needed any fake transcriptions." Tsunade, eyes turning stone hard. Kakashi's gaze wandered around, spotting many people he saw that day at the party. They were investors, most of them private companies who worked along side Uzumaki Corps. Hyuugas, Naras, Yamanakas, Inuzukas, Akimichis. Each of which had at least one child who did make it in to the program. "As of now, we are unsure where the sources of such accusations are coming from, but rest assured, none of the results have been tampered with and students who made it were selected randomly. Even those with the lowest average-criteria."

Kakashi scoffed at Tsunade's words. What Tsunade said wasn't a lie at all. Years they've been doing such a program, graduates of said program somehow making it in to Uzumaki Corps once they were done with their higher studies, a direct recruit. It was - back in the years when Sarutobi was still the Head - an idea to motivate children and reinforce the importance of education by providing an oppurtunity to work along side one of the most successful and leading corporate business in the country. Kakashi closed his eyes briefly, drowning out the argument that was now basically a full pledged shouting match between one and other. It was a staged propaganda, Kakashi saw it happen before. There were a lot of people who didn't like Uzumaki Corps. and were ready to start the slightest provocation to bring it down or at least cause some internal conflicts. Kakashi was quite sure that Tsunade was aware of the case and so were everyone else, but the fact remained that this year's batch happen to consist of the investors or partners' children to be included in the picture.

People probably called it unfair because the heir himself was part of twelve children.

He picked out the important parts of exchange and scowled when someone simply suggested to cancel the entire thing for that year. So much time and investment was already put forward and such a late cancellation would - not only disappoint and lower the morale of the kids and schools - but also cause a heavy loss on Uzumaki Corps' side. Kakashi shivered as the cold settled in to his bones from the air conditioning, still wet and feeling the need to maybe stick his boot between the person's legs sitting across from him (there was no need to cancel the program). From behind him, Raidou was rubbing his temple much like how he was as well, trying to ward away the upcoming headache because now the whole meeting was officially a shouting match. It was like watching an overrated and cheesy mafia movie, people in suits and ties bickering. Kakashi almost took sick pleasure in watching Tsunade and Jiraiya try to tackle the hoard of questions and accusations since at this point, it was Uzumaki Corps. sitting on the line and everyone associated with them, should the company suffer from a loss, would be very affected too.

"We can just re-test them."

He was caught so off guard that Kakashi swiveled at the sharp dictating voice behind him. It was like watching a well arranged row of dominoes topple over. From his swivel chair, Kakashi had accidentally knocked the Inuzuka beside him, who protested and stood up at 'the violence'. That in turn made him accidentally shove the Akimichi on the other side and so on.

"What?" Kakashi gritted out, eyes narrowing at Iruka.

Iruka's eyes narrowed, face kept directed at Tsunade (who followed the commotion up to the person who started it, hazel eyes piercing at the back of Kakashi's skull). "We can re-test them. Publicly and open to anyone who wishes to see. It would probably be a controlled environment but perhaps someone who isn't associated with the program, perhaps a university professor? They could design the exam paper and ... if delay is inevitable as you have already stated, Tsunade-sama, then perhaps a thorough evaluation of the first term of school can be enforced as well?"

The eruptions of murmurs - and agreeing ones at that - made Kakashi straighten in his chair. When Iruka worded it the way he did, it sounded easy. Truth of the matter, Kakashi knew, was that it wasn't just that simple. Investment for that year's batch ready to be accepted for the next year's programme was already undergoing standard implemental procedures. To have an added strain was not exactly the type of cake Uzumaki Corps. was looking forward to having. The thinning of Tsunade's lips showed this.

"They're not your babies anymore, Iruka, there's a bigger picture here." Kakashi felt himself sneered icily, his exposed eye measuring Iruka from where he was slouching on his chair, daring him to speak out of line once more.

But Iruka wasn't even looking at him.

"A protest is likely to do more damage to Uzumaki Corps. in the long run than a re-evaluation of the students."

"There was once a time and place where they were your students to assess and control. Now isn't one of them. You think it's that easy?" Kakashi rebuked just as coldly as he did earlier.

Their gazes locked and for a moment, Kakashi felt like he was standing under a waterfall. There was _nothing_in Iruka's gaze; no anger, no irritation, no humiliation or even anything resembling hurt. They were like rusty mirrors and it was Kakashi who blinked first and when he did, he just found himself staring at a gaze filled with so much acceptance. Except it was out of pity. Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of it so he picked the easiest thing to do. He growled in anger but Iruka had already turned his gaze towards Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"That was going to be our last resort ..." Jiraiya finally announced at the deafening and awkward silence. "You see those protestors outside?" Jiraiya jerked a thumb at the wide glass window behind him. "All of you standing there at the back, if you still want to be involved with the training program, stay. You don't, then step out. You'll be re-assigned to another department."

A few feet shuffled before a handful of people left through the door. No judgement was going to be passed on those who chose to leave simply because the new development was going to be a danger to themselves if Iruka and Kakashi's appearances were any hint. Kakashi had purposely trained his gaze on the steal frame of the glass window behind Jiraiya and felt relief flood him when Iruka didn't even shift from his seat.

A press conference was going to be scheduled once the details of how to handle the accusations of 'unfairness' were ironed out. The next two hours, Kakashi tried to ignore the splitting head ache. He touched the side of his head, feeling a tender lump forming and winced when his finger made contact with the slightly warm patch on his scalp. Kakashi sighed let his hand drop to the side of chair when Raidou tugged at his elbow. Kakashi felt so tired then and there, under the dark gaze of his friend and possibly the only thing he had close to a family. He looked away, feeling cold and his neck stiffening from the wet clothes and the air conditioning combined.

It wasn't until several minutes later when Tsunade finally buttoned her suit jacket and gestured for Jiraiya to start preparing for the press conference did Kakashi finally push himself off the chair, knowing that his mission parameters is likely to not change. Or so he hoped. While he wouldn't lie and say that he was aprehensive with the whole being-a-teacher-thing, he couldn't help but also feel a bit disappointed that his distraction was going to be prolonged further due to unforeseen circumstances. If Kakashi was going to be honest with himself, he'd nod at the fact that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke (his already pre-assigned students) were going to do him a lot of good in not thinking of his previous fuck-ups (mainly the one sitting next to him, currently speaking to Jiraya).

"We're not sure how long it might take, but till then, you can start a desk job here in the office until things are stable." Jiraiya offered, patting the smaller man on the shoulder.

"It would be an honor, Jiraiya-san." Iruka replied back with a deep bow.

Kakashi removed himself from the area, moving towards the doorm intent to turn for the elevators but was stopped by Tenzou's hand who tugged at the opposite direction where the men's locker room of the office on that floor was located. There was a pair of the company's shirt and sweatshirt tucked under Tenzou's arm and Kakashi knew that he was likely not to leave the building without getting verbal-abuse from Tsunade or Jiraiya if he didn't at least change.

In the comofrt of the widely spaced bathroom - or vanity room, it was just that luscious with the mirror lights, wallpaper and marble counters - Kakashi mechanically started to peel his suit jacket and dress shirt off. One glance at the mirror and he understood just why Iruka was looking at him the way he did at the elevator. There was an angry welt forming just over his left cheekbone, going over the scar of his eye. There was also a large grazing a bit on the side under his chin and now that Kakashi saw it, it hurt. A bandaid was placed on the corner of lip, the small staple-shaped white strip holding together what looked like a deep gash. Kakashi felt weary just looking at himself. While he was pretty much used to seeing his face and body in black and blue, it never stopped feeling like he aged a thousand years. He touched his tongue against the the rows of teeth behind pursed lips, noting that he was going to really take a time off to visit the dentist. The punch he took earlier was brutal and his lip and ruined porcelain dentures could attest to that.

"Here." Raidou shoved two pills in his hand and uncapped a bottle of water for him so swallow it. "Take it and hold still."

Kakashi trained his gaze to the sink, gritting his teeth when he felt Raidou's fingers press and dress the wounds on his back (a litter of bruises, scrapes and a few other things he couldn't quite see and didn't want to see). He hadn't fully healed from the car accident just yet and now that he had a new set of added bruises, it was going to take longer. The painkillers weren't acting up yet and Kakashi ached. He wanted nothing more but to curl up in bed and just forget about his assignment for a while. There was a good reason such missions were assigned to at least a pair; if one was fucked there was another to fill in his shoes. In his current case, he was just glad Raidou was with him. No matter how much he portrayed to the world that he wanted to be alone, Kakashi's worst fear was actually being alone. Teeth flashed as he ground them together and winced as Raidou touched his painful side, hearing the brunette curse.

"You need a check up. Just in case there's internal bleeding." Raidou's voice was soft and muffled but was amplified by the bathroom walls.

"Tomorrow." Kakashi shook his head, shoulders slumping and fingers tightening its grip on the white sink. "I just ... I just want to sleep ..."

The effect of the painkiller was slowly sinking in because Kakashi could feel his inhibitions lower and the pain was starting to dull off to something tolerable now that he thought about it. A short glance up at the mirror and Kakashi found himself staring in Iruka's gaze. There were a million things in the stormy irises: guilt, fear, awe, embarrassment and something Kakashi couldn't quite pick out. Iruka was no longer wearing the dress shirt and jacket and was instead wearing the company's standard blue jumper with a red swirl logo, the white shirt peaking from underneath the dark fabric. Iruka looked young, for Tenzou must have grabbed the wrong size; the clothes were too big for him but they were at least dry. Kakashi recalled a time when Iruka looked exactly the way he did, one upon a time ago, when Kakashi leant him a spare jacket and shirt after Iruka got doused with Bull's drool. Kakashi's eyes were hazy as he stared at the reflection drinking it hungrily like a thirst man. He didn't understand why he tortured himself the way he did, why he bothered to remember such things if in the end, it would only hurt him. In his slightly dulling state of mind, Kakashi couldn't find an answer, he couldn't even make himself look away, not when Iruka was already looking right at him, lips parted and eyes glassy with so much emotion that Kakashi felt himself suffocate. Iruka didn't even look away, watching Kakashi's facial expression and how a comrade dressed another's comrade's wounds and injuries. It was a typical setting for anyone in Kakashi's field of work where your teammates is your brother or sister, mother or father. Kakashi liked to think that Raidou was a bit of everything and perhaps more.

Raidou broke the spell, pressing the white t-shirt and sweater against his palm and purposely slamming down the med kit box lid.

When Kakashi looked up again, warmer and dryer, Tenzou was already leading Iruka out of the bathroom and informing the smaller man of their transportation arrangement, apologizing for the experience and offering a prospect of warm dinner.

"Kakashi, you have pull back out of this." Raidou said, shaking his head and folding the wet clothing in to a bag.

"No." Kakashi shook his head. "If I do, then I am not facing my failure the way I should. He's part of the company now."

"There is no need for you to go through this. And you know it."

"I know." Kakashi nodded, accepting of that fact. "But you said it yourself, several times. I deserve this."

There was nothing Raidou could say to that and instead simply shook his head and lead Kakashi outside. The press conference would have at least started by then. Waiting for the crowd to disperse wouldn't take that long.

XXX

By late evening, when the rain started to pour unrepentantly, Tenzou drove the sedan at a sedate pace towards Kakashi and Iruka's apartment. They were going to stop to pick up dinner, neither of the four occupants of the car in the mood to dine. The crowd took a while to disperse, opting for shelter under umbrellas and bundling together to maintain some heat from the cold rain. While most had decided to go home once Tsunade delivered Uzumaki Corps' next action, some remained, stubborn and questioning still. Security wasn't going to turn lax because apparently, it hadn't only been Iruka and Kakashi who suffered the angry mob that day.

Kakashi looked out the window of the backseat, staring at the pelting rain while Tenzou, Raidou and Iruka made small idle talk. Granted, they sat in waiting room long enough for their pants to sprout yams, drinking tea and chewing on short cake biscuits. Kakashi had been hungry then but if he saw another biscuit, he was going to break something. On a more normal day, Kakashi could agree that the biscuits the office lobby served their waiting guests were divine, perfeclty shaped little things, sprinkled with sugar and glazed with blackberries. They were one of the best out there and there was a time when Kakashi would purposely take some of them to snack at a meeting. Those were the days during the begining of his career.

They had all agreed to grab some grilled sandwiches from a rather popular diner a few streets away from their destination. Kakashi had tuned them out completely because even if Iruka was sitting right next to him (both of them looking like they got out of school with their matching sweatshirts), and Raidou was half turned in the passenger seat, speaking to Iruka like everything was so normal in the world, he couldn't forget the way Iruka looked at him earlier, devoid of anything but acceptance. Kakashi couldn't understand it and tried to grasp the concept as to why such a look would be directed to him. He knew pity, anger, annoyance, envy and several other things. But acceptance was not something he was familiar with; not even back then when he was still under Minato's command and had Rin and Obito as teammates.

His head, however, was killing him. He wasn't aware that the conscious effort of tuning out the talk in the car was no longer an effort. He had fallen asleep with his head resting against the glass. Kakashi became aware he had fallen asleep when a hand shook him by the arm, firm and almost commanding. Said arm belonged to Raidou and Tenzou wasn't in the driver's seat.

"Stay awake." Raidou said, tone not leaving any room for argument. "Keep this idiot awake, Iruka. I'm going to go take a leak."

Kakashi opened his lips to protest - and what was the deal, Raidou calling him an idiot? He's the idiot! - but Raidou was already out of the car and the door slammed shut. Iruka was silent again, arms folded across his abdomen and looking at a spot outside his window, distant. Kakashi wasn't sure if he liked the situation or not; his head was hurting too much.

"I didn't get to ask." Kakashi finally spoke, leaning his head and minding the tender area against the cool glass. It was a touch soothing. "Are you sore?"

"Yes." Iruka answered, voice oddly neutral and polite. "How's your head?"

Kakashi shrugged a bit. "You get used to it after a while."

The silence was pregnant after that. "You do this a lot then."

"For a long time." Kakashi closed his eyes for a bit, hoping it'd ease the strain. The lights of the diner were too bright and blinding. "Just maybe not for everyone. Humor me though and get yourself checked at the hospital tomorrow either ways. Raidou can give you the details."

"You know, you should take your own advice?"

"Oh yeah?" Kakashi felt a dry smile crawl up his face. "My face scaring you yet?"

Iruka was frowning harder when he saw the smile. "That wasn't a joke, Kakashi?"

"First name basis again. You're pretty cool when you're turning in to a mother hen." Kakashi chuckled. It was always amusing to tease Iruka and get him riled up, even if he knew that he was practically traipsing over tender wounds at this point.

"Can you be serious for one minute?"

"I am serious, Iruka." Kakashi lifted his shoulder in a half hearted shrug and resisted to rub his temple. "When was I not?"

"You," Iruka gritted out. "tell me. When are you ever serious, anyway?"

Kakashi forced himself to turn to face Iruka, face aching and swollen, the welt and redness of the slightly raised lumps a stark contrast to his pale features. "You're alive, I don't think you have any broken bones, you're breathing fine. I don't hear a whistling noise when you're inhaling or something. It still doesn't get to your head though does it? When I say that I'll keep you safe?"

"No." Iruka shook his head, moving and leaning against the car door and facing Kakashi completely now. "Because people who shoot other people don't say things like that, Kakashi."

Kakashi was silent for the longest while looking at Iruka. "I'm not everybody, Iruka. Understand that."

"I can't." He said, voice strained and shaking, because Iruka looked frustrated. "I can't get it, Kakashi. You don't point your guns at people you claim to like or care for or study unless you wanted them dead! What kind of a person are you? People don't take friends of other people and tie them up somewhere away from civilization and keep them hostage either!"

Kakashi felt his eyes lids close by themselves, a futile attempt to soothe the strain again. "I know, I know. I wasn't thinking. That wasn't part of the plan back then."

"Because you never do, do you?" Iruka asked, soft and wondering. "Because you don't know how to do it. You're a machine, Kakashi. You live to end life upon orders. And I get that now."

The silence that crashed all around Kakashi was so loud that he thought his ear drums might have stopped functioning. He tried to think back to that evening, the memory of the thrashed pool area falling like a veil over his gaze. He saw himself running out of the connected shower rooms, his boots squelching from the stained and cracked tiles around the pool area. He remembered running beause the the target was getting away, the very target who breached their security as if it fickle like paper, they were supposed to subdue him till Ibiki got his ass in front of Kotetsu. The situation back then, he remembered was that there had been another problem Ibiki's unit were tackling, a series of unknown attacks to warehouses that belonged to prestigious companies like the Hyuugas and the Uchihas. There was a few days delay that couldn't be helped and they risked Kotetsu talking about things he shouldn't have if they let him go.

He remembered thinking that the target was getting away. Kakashi remembered his thoughts process clearly, just like Iruka said, a machine programmed to stop his targets from getting away. He aimed the gun without thinking then and if Genma hadn't been beside him, he wouldn't have missed Iruka's head. Iruka would have been dead and silenced and not sitting across from him right then, with a scar as a mark of that ordeal. Kakashi felt cold and this time, it wasn't from the airconditioning Tenzou left running, it wasn't from the rain or his damp underwear. He felt cold because he was desperately clawing for the memory in his mind, trying very hard to remember what he was thinking.

He couldn't come up with anything except for a blank.

It had been an automatic reaction.

"Kakashi? Hey, Kakashi!"

Kakashi blinked and found himself staring at Iruka with his jaw slightly slacked, lungs sucking in deep and slow breaths. "What?" He answered, blinking once more. Iruka has holding him by the shoulders, looking like he saw another ghost. "I am listening, Iruka. And no, you don't get it. You're not me to get it." _Man, I'm so fucking sleepy._

"Wake up!" Iruka shook him hard, tanned and slim fingers digging in to Kakashi's bicep, squeezing old and new bruises.

Kakashi didn't understand what Iruka was trying to prove. He was wide awake, he was staring at Iruka's face and his chest felt like a frozen chunk of arctic ice. It hurt. "I am awake!" He snapped, and purposely knocked one of Iruka's hand away. "I shot you. Okay, I get it. I missed. You wanna know why? Because that's how I live, Iruka. It's the only way I know how to live. You were a target, you were getting away. You had to be silenced."

The tanned fingers slipped from their grip, falling on the space of the leather seat between them. "Well, you failed your assignment didn't you?"

"Yeah. The machine's processor got contaminated by a virus." He answered simply, stating the obvious and what was true.

He would have completed the shot even if Genma had knocked his hand to stop him from killing any of the escaping trio at the time. He would pushed Genma back and coldly fired three more rounds and not miss his target. The knock was enough for him to see that it was Iruka and that was probably the first time he had really hesitated and thought about what he was doing because once the blank winked out, he remembered scrambling over to see if Iruka was okay.

Iruka didn't know that. Iruka was no psychic. Iruka was his virus, the infection that wouldn't go away or perhaps he was the anitbiotic that made the infection go away.

Kakashi wasn't so sure which one was which anymore.

TBC (?)

Thanks for reading (if anyone is even still following this thing - lalala).


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